Twixt Earth and Paradise
by Patrice J
Summary: The Fifth Doctor and his companions find that a curious mind is not necessarily a good thing.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: "Doctor Who" and its characters are of course the property of the BBC. I'm just borrowing them._

On a small, mossy plain that stretched between the rocky hills two children played a game of hide-and-seek. The boy tried to suppress a giggle as his companion uncovered her eyes and began scanning the clumps of grey moss and dwarf spruce trees in the immediate vicinity. He lay flat on his belly behind one of the moss clusters. The plant was not quite large enough to obscure him from the girl's view, but his grey clothing helped to camouflage him. He was terribly pleased with his choice of hiding place, and despite his best efforts the wanton giggle escaped his mouth.

The girl turned toward him with her hands upon her hips. A smile was forming on her lips. "I see you!" she exclaimed as she skipped over the moss and around the trees toward him.

He sat up, overcome by a fit of laughter. When she reached him she took his hands and pulled him up. His fine, ash-blond hair seemed to quiver around his face like an electrified corona as his body shook with giggles. The girl's smile broadened, and soon she was laughing, too, the motion creating the same halo effect around her pale face.

"It took you almost a minute," he said when he was finally able to speak.

She narrowed her eyes. "I was just pretending to look for you. I knew where you were all along!" Her voice was slightly husky as she tried to catch her breath.

"No you didn't!"

"Did too!"

The boy frowned in mild disappointment then nodded his head resolutely. He lifted his hands and placed them on her head, fingertips pressing against her temples. He closed his eyes for a moment then smiled and stepped back.

"Ha! You really didn't know!" he said triumphantly, turning to sprint away. "Betcha can't catch me!"

"Hey! I'm gonna tell! You're gonna to be in big trouble—"

"Only if you catch me," he called, bounding further away.

The girl tossed her head, then wiped a hand over her nose before running after her brother, back toward the village nestled in a small vale between the craggy hills.

-----

Carrying a hefty book in his arms, Adric walked down one of the corridors in the TARDIS. His head was bent to study the open pages, and a slight frown creased his young brow. "That just can't be right," he muttered, turning to step into the console room.

Finally he looked up. The Doctor was standing near one of the monitors on the bank of instrumentation surrounding the center rotor.

"Doctor," Adric began, lowing the book to settle it against his hip, "this doesn't make sense."

"Neither does this," the Doctor murmured before glancing up at the Alzarian youth. "What do you have there?"

"The text on subatomic particle application. But if I apply this equation for the rate of decay of tamallium, the solution indicates a negative value—"

The Doctor reached forward to take the book. His eyes moved rapidly over the page. "No, Adric, you've misinterpreted the ionic value. If it's greater than four, the solution must be positive."

Adric read over the numbers and accompanying charts quickly. "Oh—of course! It's got to be at least four point seven two, which makes the solution…" he paused, "fourteen thousand, seven hundred twelve."

The Time Lord smiled. "I'll trust you on that." He gave Adric's gold badge a small tap with his fingertip.

Adric grinned at his friend's approbation. "What do you suggest that I read after I've finished this?"

The Doctor had glanced back at the monitor on the console. "Hmm? Oh, put that down for a minute and have a look at this."

Adric lowered the book and stepped over to the monitor. He saw an array of numbers and symbols that he quickly recognized as abbreviations for at least two dozen elements. "There's a lot of carbon," he commented.

"Yes, and carbon dioxide."

"Which means that whatever this monitor is picking up is living."

"Obviously. And the levels suggest that some of the life forms are humanoid. What makes this interesting is that the planet this is scanning hadn't been settled the last time I passed it."

"And when was that?"

"Oh," the Doctor waved a hand absently, "two or three hundred years ago."

"So someone's colonized it, or set up a research station there. That's not very surprising—"

"No, I suppose not. But this planet is quite remote, and it hasn't got any particular resources that would be of interest to other societies. It's rather curious that anyone would choose to settle here."

"Maybe it's a nice place to live," Adric suggested.

"Not particularly. The atmosphere can sustain animal and human life without difficulty, but as I recall the planet is rather barren and rocky—not an ideal place for settlement."

Adric shrugged. "Perhaps they didn't choose it. There could have been a crash or emergency landing of some sort."

The Doctor nodded. "Possibly." He lowered his head and began punching at keys. "Let's just stop in for a bit and see."

The center rotor began to glow as it groaned upward.

"Run and fetch Nyssa and Tegan," the Time Lord said. "Tell them we'll be landing soon."

-----

By the time Adric, Tegan, and Nyssa entered the console room, the Doctor had opened the door and stepped outside. They joined him in the cool, late-afternoon sun.

"This is nowhere near Heathrow!" Tegan exclaimed as soon as she glimpsed the rocky hills and low-growing plants. "Did you land us on the moors?" She shook her head with a small scowl. "No, these hills are too stony, and it's dry here."

The Doctor shot Adric a glance. "Didn't you tell them where we were going?" he asked.

Adric shook his head. "You just said to tell them we were landing."

"So you weren't even trying to get back to England?" Tegan huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"At the moment, no," the Doctor responded, then added quickly, "but I will return you there—as soon as we've had a look around here, if that is what you want."

Tegan sniffed in reply, purposefully turning away from him. With a sympathetic glance at the Australian, Nyssa said, "Doctor, why have we landed here?"

"Just to take a look. The scanners show humanoid life here. As of two hundred years ago this was an uninhabited planet. I'm curious about the residents." He was looking about as he spoke. Now he pointed to his left. "Over there. I can see a gap between the hills." He took a few steps, but Tegan's loud sigh stopped him.

"You can wait here if you like," he said with a quick look in her direction.

"I'm coming with you," Adric said. "Nyssa?"

Nyssa's eyes moved from Tegan to the Doctor and Adric. "If Tegan wants to remain here, I'll stay."

"Do you want to go with them?" asked Tegan.

Nyssa hesitated for a moment. "I don't mind staying here if that's what you want."

With a shake of her head, Tegan said, "No, Nyssa, it's fine. I'll go."

The Doctor settled his hat on his head and began to walk. "Nothing like a bit of exercise to clear your mind and lift your spirits," he said brightly.

Tegan simply rolled her eyes without saying anything.

------

After walking for half an hour, the visitors found that the hills seemed to stretch endlessly ahead and to all sides.

"We may have to climb over," the Doctor suggested, pausing to examine the local flora that sprouted valiantly up from between the gaps in the rocks.

The Time Lord was bent over a bush. Its branches reached only to his knees, but they spread out nearly a meter on each side. Small clusters of bright pink flowers grew among the dark green foliage. "These should produce berries in about three weeks," he noted to no one in particular.

"There seems an adequate supply of natural resources here to sustain humans indefinitely," Nyssa said. She pointed at several chubby birds that fluttered between the bushes.

"I wonder if they taste like squab?" Tegan mused, beginning to notice her empty stomach. She rubbed at her arms as shadows lengthened over the plain. Mountains surrounded them, now blocking the setting sun.

"More like Bresse hens, I should think," the Doctor said as he straightened. "They're probably not even a delicacy here. They seem rather abundant."

"So this isn't really such a bad place for people to have settled, is it?" Adric inquired.

The Doctor considered this question for a moment. "No, it's not. The flora seem more plentiful than the last time I was here. I don't recall these birds either…"

"Can you really remember your previous trip here in that much detail?" asked Nyssa.

The Doctor frowned slightly. "Perhaps not." Then he brightened and resettled his hat on his head. "Let's try this one." He gestured toward the lowest mound.

"You want us to climb over that pile of rocks?" Tegan asked.

"It's not a pile of rocks, Tegan," the Doctor corrected good-naturedly. "It's an uplifted granitic batholith—"

"That looks like a giant pile of rock," she finished. "No thanks. I didn't change into my mountain-climbing gear." She smoothed her lavender blouse slightly and straightened her jacket. "It looks flatter over there."

"Have a look, then," the Time Lord said, already placing his foot on the edge of the hill. "If you can find a way around this batholith, I'll meet you on the other side. Just be sure to move in this direction." He pointed straight ahead.

Tegan took a few steps then paused. "Who's coming with me?" she asked.

Nyssa turned in her direction, but the Doctor said, "Adric, go with Tegan."

"Why me?" the boy asked. "I want to stay with you—"

"Because," the Doctor replied reasonably, "your attire is better suited to rocky terrain than Nyssa's. You can help Tegan move over the rocks, just as I'll assist Nyssa." He was already holding out his hand to the young Traken woman.

"Fine," Tegan said rather shortly. "Well, come on, then," she urged curtly when she saw that Adric had not moved.

"All right," the Alzarian said, "I'm coming." He scrambled over the stony ground, passing her within a few moments as she struggled to keep up in her high heels.

-----

Nyssa's boots were not ideal for rock-climbing, either, but she found that with some small degree of care she could negotiate the gaps between the granite fairly well. The Doctor tried to keep an eye on her, but he was frequently distracted by the plants and small animals that dwelt among the rocks.

After perhaps thirty minutes they reached the top of the batholith, the Doctor gently pulling Nyssa to the summit by the hand. They stood looking over the land. The sun was lowering, casting shadows across the hills, but in the distance they clearly saw a cluster of buildings.

"That must be the settlement," said the Doctor, "or one of them, at least."

"It's not very big," commented Nyssa. "Do you think there are others here?"

"I'm not sure. Let's find out, hmm?" He took her hand again and began leading her down the hill.

Once they had descended the batholith, the terrain, though still rocky, provided for easier foot travel. After they had walked a short distance, Nyssa asked, "Shouldn't we wait for Tegan and Adric?"

The Doctor looked back in the direction from which they had come. "They should be over there. As soon as they round that hill they'll see the village. I'm sure they'll realize that we've gone there."

"Yes, I suppose so," Nyssa agreed.

As they neared the village, they could see that the buildings were constructed of an odd amalgamation of wood, stone, and pieces of metal. Along the outer perimeter stood smaller buildings, with a dozen or so larger ones in the center. Smoke rose from chimneys in the smaller structures; the Doctor identified these as homes. Most were adorned with plants and stone walkways leading up toward their doors. A stone path wound from the center of the village out to the homes as well.

A few people strolled about between the buildings. From somewhere nearby, they could hear a child laughing.

"It seems a pleasant place," Nyssa commented.

"Yes. It's a bit more rustic than I'd imagined."

"How so?"

"Well, if these people had the technological skills to come here, presumably in a space craft of some sort, I would expect that their architecture would be more advanced than this."

A woman, in her early thirties with straw-colored hair, walked along the path nearest them. She held a basket in her hand, but she was looking beyond the village, away from the Doctor and Nyssa. With a slight frown, she called, "Rannal! Morra! Supper!"

The Doctor smiled then lifted his hand to wave as he hailed her, "Hello!"

She turned toward him. Slowly her hand rose to her mouth as her eyes widened. The basket dropped from her fingers, and she sank to her knees. She seemed to struggle for breath for a moment, then she screamed.

-----

Adric had rounded the batholith easily, leaving Tegan a good five minutes' behind. She struggled to negotiate the stony surface, catching a heel frequently then stopping to extricate herself before moving on. At his last glance, she had been perhaps fifty meters behind him. Ahead he could see a village nestled between the hills.

"Tegan!" he called back. "Hurry up! I've found a village!"

He could not hear her response, if indeed she had responded. He was eager to investigate the new surroundings, but he forced himself to wait for her, idly examining the low-growing plants to pass the time. It was nearly twilight, and shadows covered the ground. Adric squinted slightly in an effort to see more clearly. Something had moved just a few meters to his left.

He turned, craning his neck and listening carefully. "Hello?" he said cautiously.

A nearby bush seemed to rustle slightly. It was not large enough to hide a person, and there had been no signs of large, predatory animals, so Adric decided that whatever was amid the brush presented little threat to him. He took a few steps toward it then increased his pace. He stopped before the bush to peer down into it. Something lay beneath its low branches.

Adric bent down. Abruptly a head popped up from between the leaves. The Alzarian gasped in surprise, falling back onto the ground. He felt a stone dig painfully into his palm and struggled to his feet to avoid any more scrapes. As he stood, a small pair of hands rose from the bush to hover next to the head, followed by thin shoulders and arms.

Adric blinked at the child who stood before him. "Hello," he said again.

The little boy's eyes had widened in fear, but curiosity soon prevailed. He reached out his hand to touch Adric's arm, then quickly pulled his fingers away. He took a step back, gaze fixed upon Adric.

"It's all right," Adric said. "I won't hurt you."

"Who—" began the child hesitantly, "who are you?"

"My name is Adric."

"Where… where did you come from?"

Adric smiled then lifted his hand toward the sky. "Out there."

The child's eyes followed his gesture. "From the heavens?"

"No, not the heavens. From space. But before that from another planet called Alzarius."

"Another planet?" The child's expression showed his utter confusion with this construct.

"Yes. There are lots of other planets out there—"

The child tentatively touched Adric's arm again. "Ad—Adric?"

"Yes, that's right. What's your name?"

The boy lifted his eyes to Adric's face. "Rannal."

"Do you live there, in the village?"

Rannal nodded.

"Adric!" Tegan's voice shot across the small plain. "You could have at least waited—"

He turned to look at her as she stalked toward him. Her expression, barely discernible in the dim light, showed her surprise at seeing the child. She hurried forward. "Who's this?" she asked, her tone softening immediately.

"His name is Rannal," Adric replied. "He lives in the village."

"Hello, Rannal," Tegan said pleasantly. "I'm Tegan."

The boy nodded solemnly, his eyes quickly returning to Adric. "Is she from the heavens, too?"

"No," Adric replied, "she's from Earth. That's another planet."

Rannal turned abruptly and walked to the nearest bush. He bent down. "It's all right," he said. "You can come out now."

He thrust his hand amid the leaves. "Come on, Morra. Don't be scared."

After a moment a small girl emerged from beneath the shrub. She was clearly frightened. Her eyes were large and she appeared pale. Her hands shook.

"They won't hurt you," Rannal assured her. "They came from the sky."

"From the sky?" she repeated. "They're from the heavens?"

He nodded and took her hand to lead her to his new companions. He pointed in turn, saying with budding officiousness, "This is Adric. This is Tegan."

Morra stood shyly behind Rannal, but when Tegan smiled warmly the girl took a hesitant half-step forward. "You don't look like my mommy," she said.

"No?" Tegan bent down to put her face at the child's eye level. "Well, people all look different, don't they? Does your mommy have blonde hair like yours?"

Morra nodded. "I've never seen hair that color before!" She touched a strand near Tegan's ear then withdrew her hand quickly.

"It's all right," Tegan said gently. "You can touch it if you want."

Morra shook her head and retreated behind Rannal again.

"They live in the village, down there," Adric said, nodding toward the lights that had begun to glow from the homes.

"Knowing the Doctor, he's already there," said Tegan, "probably having tea with the mayor."

"Rannal, we'd like to go to your village," Adric said.

The boy grasped Adric's hand and led him forward, saying to Morra, "Wait 'til they see what we found! This is better than any rock we've ever brought back!"

Tegan held out her hand to Morra, and the girl tentatively took it, staring all the while at her auburn hair.


	2. Chapter 2

Nyssa had knelt next to the fallen woman, speaking to her in soothing tones. The woman pressed a hand to her chest, gasping for air.

"She's hyperventilating," the Doctor said matter-of-factly. "Try to get her to steady her breathing." He glanced down quickly then returned his gaze to the small group approaching quickly from the interior of the village.

"Please," Nyssa said gently, "it's all right. We won't hurt you in any way. You must try to take small breaths." She rubbed the woman's hand comfortingly. This seemed to have a calming effect; her breathing was less strenuous.

"Don't harm her—please!" called one of the men in the little assemblage.

The Doctor saw that the group had stopped; they remained about five meters away. Their faces reflected abject astonishment mixed with fear. The Time Lord walked toward them. He could see them stiffen, obviously still afraid of him.

"We haven't hurt her," he said steadily. "She seems to have been terribly frightened by something—"

One of the men toward the head of the group raised his hand. "It's…" He seemed to gather his courage, then he nearly spat out, "It's you!"

"Me?" The Doctor halted. "I've frightened her? Oh, I'm sorry! But how have I frightened her? I was under the impression that this face and body were actually rather pleasing—"

"You—" the man began again. "You and the woman with you… It's just that we've never had a… visitor here."

The Doctor blinked. "Never? You mean we're the first visitors you've ever seen?"

The man nodded.

"Oh dear!" the Doctor said. "That would be rather unnerving! I'm sorry. Nyssa," he looked back to find his companion helping the woman to her feet, "how is she?"

"She'll be fine, I think," Nyssa responded. She led the woman toward the Doctor.

He bowed slightly and removed his hat. "You have my sincere apologies," he said. "We had no intention of frightening or upsetting you."

The woman nodded weakly. She was obviously still shaken. She turned her head toward the area outside the village. "The children," she began in a quavering voice. "Are there more of you?"

"We have two other companions," Nyssa said mildly. "But they're very kind. They wouldn't harm anyone."

"My children are out there," she said.

"And if Adric and Tegan should encounter them, they'll be in good hands," the Doctor confirmed with a smile.

"They will be frightened," the woman said.

One of the men leaned forward to take her hand. "It's all right, Cira. We'll go out and find them." He gestured to two other men who followed him and Cira out into the twilight.

The other group members, nearly a dozen in all, had begun to calm slightly. The man who had initially addressed the Doctor said, "Where are you from?"

"Several different places," the Doctor replied.

"And how did you get here?"

"In a ship."

"A space ship?" The man was clearly intrigued by this information.

"Yes."

The others murmured, and the lead man seemed to relax. "I believe that the custom is to offer one's hand to a visitor?" He extended his hand.

The Doctor shook it warmly. "Pleased to meet you. I'm the Doctor, and this is Nyssa."

"And I'm Gerran. May we offer you some food? My wife is preparing supper."

"Thank you," the Doctor said. "That's very gracious of you."

"Forgive us if we aren't certain how to act. Stories have been passed down about this type of situation, and we've read about it in books, but none of us has ever encountered it ourselves."

"You've been perfect hosts," the Doctor responded kindly. "I can assume that you were all born here?"

Gerran nodded. "Yes, and our parents and grandparents, too."

"But how did your ancestors arrive here?"

Gerran glanced back at the nearby houses. "We need to tell the rest of the people about you. They'll be alarmed if they aren't informed of your presence." He nodded to the other men and women accompanying him. "Go and tell them."

The members dispersed, and Gerran led his guests toward a house near the edge of the village. "Please wait here for just a moment," he said. "I must tell my wife about you so that she's not frightened." He entered the house.

"Imagine never having met anyone from outside this village!" Nyssa said. "That means that they're the only inhabitants of the planet."

"So it would seem," the Doctor replied.

"Doctor!" A familiar and distinctively accented voice heralded the Time Lord. He looked toward the edge of the village to see Tegan and Adric approaching. Two small children, perhaps seven or eight years old, walked beside them.

The Doctor called them over. "You must be Cira's children," he said affably.

Rannal seemed to pull in closer to Adric, and Morra stepped behind Tegan.

"They've never seen anyone from outside their village before," Tegan began to explain, but the Doctor stopped her.

"Yes, we're aware of that. We've met their mother and several others. In fact, we've been invited to supper." He nodded toward the house. "I think we'll be asked in shortly."

The door opened and Gerran stepped out. "Ah, Rannal and Morra! Your mother is looking for you. Go and call her, but stay close to the village. Take this light so that she can see you." He handed the boy a lantern.

Rannal looked up at Adric for a moment, appearing hesitant to leave.

"It's all right," Adric reassured him. "I'll be here when you get back."

The boy nodded then took his sister's hand and led her away.

"Bye-bye," Tegan called. "We'll see you later."

"They've really taken to you," Nyssa said as Gerran beckoned them inside.

His house was spacious but not expansive. The furnishings were constructed primarily of wood. Some skill was evident in the construction and design, but the materials appeared to consist of indigenous wood and some stone. Candles and lanterns illuminated the room. A young woman, perhaps a few years older than Tegan, stood near the kitchen doorway.

Gerran stepped over to her to take her arm and lead her forward. "Ellea, please meet our… guests. This is the Doctor and Nyssa."

"And Adric and Tegan," the Doctor finished. He offered Ellea his hand. "How do you do?"

She took his hand hesitantly and gave a slight bow. "Wel… welcome," she stammered. She was obviously taken aback by the visitors but was trying to be courteous.

"I hope," said Gerran, "that you will give us some time to get used to you. You are very welcome here." He smiled.

"I'll bring the food," Ellea said, returning to the kitchen.

Gerran motioned to a square table toward the edge of the room. He sat, as did his guests. The Doctor was looking about, obviously wondering about the furnishings and apparently antiquated lighting. "How long have your people lived here?" he asked.

"Ellea and I are the fourth generation. The children who you met, and a few others, are the fifth."

"And how did your ancestors happen to settle here?" inquired the Doctor, now returning his gaze to Gerran.

Their host seemed to sigh, and his expression darkened for a moment. "It was not by choice," he began. "They crashed here. They were travelers, on their way back home after visiting another planet. Their ship was badly damaged, and they had no way to leave."

"Surely they could have called or signaled for help," Adric suggested.

Gerran shook his head. "Their equipment was destroyed. They hoped that someone might come for them, but no one ever did. After some time they began to build homes, and eventually the village."

"So they had children?" asked Tegan.

"Not with them, but they were young, and there were four women and seven men… Four couples are our great-great-great grandparents."

"And you're all descended from that line?" asked Nyssa.

Gerran nodded.

"How interesting genetically," began Nyssa, but Ellea entered with a stack of bowls.

"Did you make these?" asked Tegan, running her fingers over the smooth ceramic surface of her bowl.

Ellea, still shy in front of the guests, said softly, "No, they're from the shop."

"The shop?" The Doctor appeared interested in this bit of information. "Do you have shops here?"

"Yes," replied Gerran. "There is a shop where we trade our goods. Ellea makes baskets, and my brother and I grow several types of vegetables."

Adric asked, "How many people live here?"

"One hundred fifty-six," Gerran answered.

"And of course you've worked out a separation of labor," the Doctor commented to no one in particular.

Adric watched as Ellea lit a candle in the center of the table. "But didn't your ancestors—the first ones to come here—have knowledge about electricity and batteries?"

Gerran frowned again. "Yes. We've heard of these ideas. Electricity was used as a power source, wasn't it? There were ways of making light without fire. But the equipment has long since worn out. We have to use what we can find and understand."

"And you've done a fine job of applying this planet's resources skillfully," the Doctor commented as Ellea placed a large tureen of soup on the table. "That smells wonderful!"

This compliment finally elicited a small smile from their hostess as she ladled soup into the bowls.

------

Gerran and Ellea graciously offered the visitors the use of two rooms in their home for the night. The TARDIS lay far in the distance, and the night had grown cold, so the Doctor's companions gladly accepted the invitation.

After a quick supper other villagers had begun gathering outside the house, hoping for a glimpse of the guests. The Doctor had taken Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan outside for a short while to greet the residents, most of whom were frightened but curious. As darkness began to fall, Gerran spoke up, telling the others that the guests would remain for the night and that there would be plenty of time in the morning to see them.

He ushered the visitors back inside, apologizing for the gawkers, then showed the Doctor and Adric to one room and Nyssa and Tegan to the other. He wished them a good night then excused himself to retire for the evening.

The rooms were simply furnished but comfortable. Ellea had set out soft nightshirts for each guest. There was a single, small bathroom near the couple's room, complete with a septic-type plumbing system, which Nyssa thought relied upon botanicals; a basin and large ewer filled with water; and a sturdy wooden box lined with smooth resin, ostensibly for bathing.

Nyssa, Tegan, and Adric slept well, while the Doctor remained awake. He lay upon the bed in quiet contemplation for some time, but a noise from the kitchen area piqued his curiosity. If his hosts were still up perhaps they would want some company. He rose and walked out into the hallway. He could hear Gerran and Ellea talking very softy.

He approached the kitchen, ready to greet the couple, but stopped when he saw them. They stood close together, Gerran's hands upon Ellea's shoulders. Their foreheads were touching. The Doctor did not wish to disturb this intimate moment and turned to go.

"What was it like?" he heard Ellea ask in a whisper.

"It was—it's hard to describe. I can't— I mean nothing could truly prepare me for seeing them."

"Sshh," she soothed.

Something in her tone drew the Doctor's attention again. He found their closeness fascinating. For a moment he permitted himself to watch them. Ellea kissed her husband's forehead then placed her hands at his temples, closing her eyes. He shook his head slightly, but she kissed him again. His lids lowered for a moment, then he lifted his eyes to her face.

The Doctor could not see Ellea's expression, but he felt a small twinge of poignancy when Gerran returned her gesture and pressed his lips to her cheek. Now slightly embarrassed to witness their continued intimacy, the Time Lord returned to his room.

------

In the morning Ellea prepared a breakfast of something resembling potatoes, rustic bread with a slightly tart jam that she told them was made from the berries growing on the scrubby bushes, and a soft, ripe cheese. She also served small cups of juice that tasted a bit like tomato.

Gerran told his guests that the rest of the village would be eager to meet them. He proposed a stroll through the streets, to which the Doctor readily agreed.

As they were finishing breakfast, there was a knock at the door. Gerran rose to answer it, returning in a minute with Rannal. He winked at Adric, saying, "The boy wants to speak with you."

Adric stood. "What is it?" he asked.

"I want you show you something," replied the child. "Can you come on a walk with me? Momma says it's all right."

Adric glanced at his companions. The Doctor smiled. "I don't see why not."

Rannal took Adric's hand. "Come on!" His enthusiasm was quite evident.

"But I haven't finished my breakfast," Adric protested, looking wistfully at his half-empty plate.

"Sit down, Rannal," said Ellea. "Have some juice before you go."

The child complied, but he watched Adric expectantly until the Alzarian's plate was clean.

"All right," Adric said, standing. "Where are we going?"

Rannal smiled. "You'll see!" He took Adric's hand and led him out the door.

"He's not particularly shy, is he?" Tegan commented.

Gerran shook his head. "No. He's energetic, that one."

"And terribly curious," added Ellea.

Tegan caught the dark glance that Gerran shot his wife. Ellea stood. "Excuse me," she said softly. "I have work to do."

------

Gerran led the Doctor, Nyssa, and Tegan along the pleasant, shady stone pathways toward the center of the village. As they walked, he asked about their home.

"We're all from different planets," Nyssa explained.

"Yes? And which planets are those?" asked Gerran.

"I'm from Traken," she replied, "and Tegan is from Earth—"

"From Earth? Our ancestors spoke of that planet. They had visited it once. I believe some writings about it still remain in the shrine."

"Shrine?" inquired Tegan.

Gerran nodded. "Yes. We have a special place for the artifacts left here by our forefathers. Would you like to see it?"

"There's stuff from Earth?" asked Tegan.

"I think so," Gerran replied. "And from other places, too." He paused in mid-stride. "Perhaps," he said slowly, "you can help us to identify where some of the items came from. There are some we've wondered about."

"Of course," said the Doctor agreeably. "We'll certainly try. We've done a fair amount of travelling."

"Yes? And your ship is near here?" Gerran continued walking.

"It's a short distance away," the Doctor confirmed.

"How large is it?"

Tegan responded quickly, "It's pretty small—just room for the four of us." She purposefully avoided the Doctor's gaze, knowing that he would not appreciate her fabrication.

"Oh." Gerran's tone contained a note of disappointment. "Well, we would certainly enjoy seeing it."

Now Tegan did catch the Doctor's eye. She shook her head, feeling a vague sense of mistrust. While these people had been hospitable and she felt no threat from them, she was unsure about revealing the TARDIS to them.

To her surprise, the Doctor said, "I'm afraid it's rather basic. There isn't much to see. But if you're curious I can take you later today. It looks rather like rain, though." He lifted his face to the sky. Indeed, dark clouds were gathering in the distance. "It wouldn't be safe to cross the batholiths with lightning in the atmosphere."

"No, of course not," Gerran agreed. "And this storm will probably last a full day. Perhaps tomorrow we might see your ship."

The Doctor made a somewhat noncommittal noise and increased his pace slightly. "What a magnificent garden!" he said, swerving to admire a large square plot covered in vegetable plants.

Gerran joined him. "Ellea helps to tend it, as do my brother and I."

"You've done a masterful job," the Doctor said. "What do you use for fertilizer?"

"Compost, mostly." He pointed to several large wooden barrels at the edge of the garden.

The Doctor followed his gesture. "Worms?"

Gerran nodded as the Time Lord bent to lift several leaves. "Sweet potatoes, peas, squash... very nice, and quite nutritious. Where are your goats?"

"In a pasture at the edge of the village," said Gerran. "How did you know about them?"

"The cheese Ellea served was clearly made from goat's milk."

A number of villagers had emerged from their homes, and they watched the visitors with interest but some trepidation. Nyssa smiled at the nearest person and beckoned her over. Gradually most of the onlookers approached the guests. There were many handshakes and timid greetings before Gerran explained that the newcomers were going to visit the shrine and perhaps explain the origins of some of the objects. This information was met with quiet enthusiasm, and the residents stepped back to permit the small group to continue on its way.

"Doctor," Gerran said after a moment, "if you would stay for a few days it would mean a great deal to all of us. To hear about other places would be—" He seemed overcome with emotion for a few seconds. "It's something that no one else has ever been able to offer us."

The Doctor glanced at Tegan and Nyssa. Both young women were smiling. "We'd be honored," he said.

Gerran appeared almost relieved. "Thank you."

------

Rannal led Adric out beyond the village to the area where he had played with his sister the previous day. He showed the Alzarian a particularly fractured batholith with many plants growing between the cracks.

"I tried to count the rocks once," the child said, "but there were too many!"

"How high did you count?" asked Adric with a flicker of a smile. As a toddler he had been fascinated with numbers and had counted everything in sight.

Rannal considered this for a moment. "To four hundred and ten."

Adric raised an eyebrow. "That's pretty high," he said, "but I can show you a way to count them all quickly."

Rannal's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yes." Adric pulled a small pad and pencil stub from his pocket. "The first thing you need to understand is how to multiply. Do you know what that means?"

Rannal shook his head.

"All right." Adric's eyes scanned the ground for a moment, then he picked up a handful of pebbles. "I'm going to place three pebbles in a row, like this. Now I'll make a second row." He moved the small stones into the appropriate configurations. "If you count the pebbles I put down, how many are there?"

Rannal immediately replied, "Six!"

"Yes. What if I put down another row of three? How many would I have then?"

"Nine!"

Impressed with the child's acumen, Adric continued. "Instead of counting them all, or adding them like you did, you could think of them as groups. See," he pointed, "two groups of three is six."

Rannal nodded. "You know a lot about counting!"

"I do. The word for that—for knowing a lot about counting and numbers—is mathematics."

"Mathematics. My momma told me about it. She said I'll learn it when I get a little further in my lessons."

"That's good. Mathematics is very useful. In fact, there are few things in the universe that don't rely on mathematical principles."

Rannal seemed a bit lost by this last comment, so Adric touched his badge and added, "I got this for excellence in mathematics."

The child rested his finger against the shiny metal. "Really?"

Adric nodded. "On my home planet, knowledge was very important."

Rannal dropped his hand and looked back down at the pebbles. "Show me more!"

With a grin, Adric said, "I'd be glad to."

------

The shrine was housed in a small, stone building near the center of the village. As the visitors approached it, Gerran told them that the larger edifices were used as workshops, a store of sorts, and a public meeting house.

When they entered the shrine they found smooth wooden pillars of varying heights displaying a variety of objects, from several used ball point pens to flashlights and lightbulbs to old plastic and glass bottles.

Gerran pointed to a rusted flashlight. "This was used to make light. It didn't need any flame. Something inside it caused the bulb to glow."

"That was the battery," Tegan began.

"Are you familiar with the use of those?" the Doctor interjected.

"Yes. We've heard the stories from our grandparents. Do you know how they work?"

The Doctor smiled benignly. "A bit."

"Would you explain it to me, and perhaps to the others?"

The Doctor's eyes moved quickly around the room. "There may be some materials here that are recyclable," he murmured.

"Recyclable?" asked Gerran. "I don't know what you mean."

"He means that they could be used again to make new—" Tegan started to explain, but once again the Doctor cut her off.

"I'm not certain that anything here is still usable," he amended quickly, averting his eyes from Tegan's curious expression. "I'll have to think about it for some time. But thank you for showing us these items."

Gerran nodded toward a small metal box. "Can you tell us what that was used for, and where it came from?"

The Doctor bent to study the object. "It was a device used to play music. This one looks Terran."

"From Earth," Tegan clarified.

"Really? But what sound would it make? Do people on other planets consider dull thuds to be music?"

"No," the Doctor replied, "this machine reproduced recorded music."

Gerran's expression became sober. "Recorded music? I would like to hear that."

Nyssa placed her hand upon his arm. "I'm sure you sing beautiful songs here."

"Perhaps," he conceded, "but they're only made by our voices. Stories about musical instruments have been passed down… they must sound wonderful."

Trying to lighten the wistful mood, Nyssa pointed at a small plastic container. "This held medicine, didn't it?"

Gerran looked at the item. "Yes, I believe that it did."

"Your people must know a great deal about herbal medicines," she said. "Everyone here seems quite healthy."

"Most are," Gerran agreed. "There are many plants that can be used to treat illnesses. We still have several books that tell about them."

"You do?" asked Nyssa. "I'd like to see those."

"Would you? The healer has them. They're very precious to us. Our healer keeps them with her, but perhaps she'd be willing to show them to you if you have a special interest."

"I do," said Nyssa.

"All right. I'll take you when we've finished here. Could you tell me about this?" He gestured toward a small, flat metal item.

"Ah," said the Doctor, "that is a key. It was used to lock something."

"To lock something?" Gerran appeared confused by this.

"Yes," Tegan explained. "To keep others out."

Gerran blinked. "Why would anyone want to do that?"


	3. Chapter 3

Adric was crouched behind a bush, remaining as still as possible. He tried not to move to avoid causing any rustling of the leaves. Overhead he could see clouds building, and he knew that the rain would come soon. But for the moment he had to stay immobile, quiet, and hidden.

It was a silly game, really, and at first he had resisted the child's attempts to engage him in hide-and-seek. But Rannal had listened attentively to the math lessons and had shown some aptitude for the subject before succumbing to his natural seven-year-old wriggliness and energy. When his happy expression became somber at Adric's initial refusal to play the game, the Alzarian relented. He even pretended that he couldn't find the boy when it was his turn to seek.

Now he had stayed well concealed for several minutes. He crouched lower when he heard Rannal's footsteps crunching over the stony ground and suppressed a smile at the growing giggles bubbling up from the child's throat.

When he saw the small feet directly in front of him he began to lift his head.

"I found you!" Rannal's joyous voice proclaimed loudly. He pressed his hand to Adric's forehead. "You're it!"

Adric smiled then blinked as the passing clouds seemed to darken the sky.

------

As Nyssa and Gerran stepped into the healer's house, Tegan took the Doctor's arm and pulled him aside. For the moment most of their audience had returned to their homes, though nearly every window seemed to have at least one spectator in it.

"Tegan, I'd like to hear what the healer has to say," the Doctor protested. "This could be very interesting—"

"You can join them in a minute. But first I want you to tell me why you're being so secretive."

"Secretive? I'm not sure what you mean. You're the one who is being disinenguous."

"Me? Why do you say that?"

"You told Gerran that the TARDIS could only carry four people."

"And as I recall you said that it was simple inside—and you stopped yourself from explaining how they might recycle their equipment."

"So I did. But tell me first why you were dishonest about the TARDIS."

Tegan sighed. "I just didn't want them knowing too much about it."

"And why is that?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, really. It just seems better not to reveal too much until we know that we can trust them. Is that why you weren't completely honest either?"

"Not exactly."

Her inquisitive looked prompted a longer explanation. "Their ancestors were stranded here, but they've created a stable, productive society. I don't want them to consider the possibility of space travel. They aren't ready for it, technologically or psychologically."

"Because they've lived a primitive life for so long?"

"Something like that. For the moment I think it is best to answer their questions and share information that will enlighten them without changing their lives to any significant degree."

"But they know that space travel exists, and they're aware that there's technology that's far ahead of anything they have—they've seen the remains. Cripes, they've built a shrine to them."

"Yes, but there's a delicate balance here. This is a rare instance of a society moving backwards technologically. And yet it seems to have benefited them." He raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps other societies could learn something from these people."

Tegan frowned. "Are you saying that the Earth and other planets have become too advanced?"

"Too advanced? Your Earth in your time—no. But in the near future things will change. Space travel will become as common as airline travel is for you and your contemporaries. People will rely nearly exclusively on computers to communicate—"

"Computers to communicate? What do you mean?"

The Doctor shook his head with a brief smile. "You'll see. My point is that these people have a very stable society in which all their basic needs appear met. This is really quite extraordinary considering that their ancestors crashed here with nothing but the equipment and supplies they were carrying—" He stopped abruptly to shift his gaze to the small building housing the shrine.

"Humans are pretty resourceful, aren't we?"

The Time Lord was immersed in thought and did not respond to her. However, when thunder rumbled overhead he glanced at the sky. His gaze swept the area surrounding the village, and suddenly he lifted his hand. "Adric!" he called, waving.

Tegan looked out toward the hills to see Adric and Rannal nearing the village. The child still held Adric's hand, leading him back. Adric seemed preoccupied; he did not appear to notice his companions beckoning him.

The Doctor and Tegan walked a few meters to intercept them.

"We played hide-an-seek!" Rannal informed them happily.

"Did you?" the Doctor asked, smiling. "That was awfully nice of Adric."

"He showed me maths, too!"

Tegan gave a short laugh. "I'll bet he did!" She gave Adric a light tap on the shoulder. "You must have had a fun morning."

Adric dropped Rannal's hand. "Oh—yes, I suppose we did."

"Come on, Tegan," urged Rannal, now taking her hand. "Morra wants you to play with her! She told me this morning! But Momma said she had to rest until lunch." He touched Adric's arm again. "Can you show me some more maths later?"

Adric nodded absently. "All right."

Rannal led Tegan toward a nearby house as she looked back in mock helplessness at her friends.

"What did you teach him?" asked the Doctor, watching the exuberant child for a moment.

"Oh," Adric replied, "just a few small things—"

The Doctor had turned back to Adric and was staring at him with a frown. Adric felt the warm wetness tickling his upper lip just as the Time Lord lifted his hand to point at the young man's face. "Your nose," he said.

Adric swiped his palm over his nose then lowered it to stare in brief astonishment at the crimson smear across his fingers. "I'm bleeding?"

The Doctor reached into his pocket for a handkerchief, which he quickly folded then held over Adric's nose. "Tilt your head back," he instructed.

"What's happening?" asked Adric, his voice distinctly nasal due to the pressure on his nose.

"Just a nosebleed. It should stop in a minute."

Adric felt something cold on his shoulders and face and realized that rain had begun falling. The Doctor lifted Adric's hand, saying, "Hold the handkerchief in place for a little longer," as he shifted his arm to wrap it around the boy's shoulder.

He lead Adric back to Gerran's house and ushered him inside, gesturing to a chair. The Alzarian sat, still gripping the cloth over his nose.

"Keep your head back," the Doctor reminded him as he walked toward the kitchen. Adric stared at the ceiling as he waited for his friend to return. The construction materials were primarily wood, but he saw a few pieces of metal and even some small strips of plastic interspersed among the beams.

The Doctor appeared at his side a minute later with a wet cloth. He lowered Adric's hand and the kerchief slowly. "Ah, that's better. It's stopped." He wiped away the blood from Adric's face, asking, "Are you prone to nosebleeds?"

"No. I've never had one before."

"You weren't hit while playing with Rannal, were you?"

Adric frowned. "I wasn't playing with him! I'm not a child. I was just entertaining him—"

"And that was very kind of you. But during your entertainments did you hit your face or head?" The Doctor was scrutinizing his nose with a slight squint.

"No."

The Doctor shrugged. "Well, it was probably caused by something environmental—an allergy, perhaps."

"Alzarians don't have allergies." Adric lifted his head a bit.

A particularly bright flash of lightning accompanied by a sharp clap of thunder drew their attention to the window. The rain was pouring down now, and Ellea hurried toward the house. She carried a large basket brimming with tomatoes and squash. The Doctor opened the door for her.

She blinked in surprise for an instant then stammered, "Thank you."

The Doctor took the basket from her so that she could shake the water from her hair and clothes. She brushed droplets from her skirt, her hand moving carefully over her stomach several times. She was damp but not drenched. However, her face had paled considerably.

"I hope you don't mind that we returned here. I'm afraid that we had to cut our stroll short due to the weather," said the Doctor.

"Oh," she responded, moving toward the stone fireplace to stoke the embers, "no, we're happy to have you here. It's just… I'm sorry, seeing you here is still a bit of a shock to me."

"We didn't mean to frighten you," the Doctor said kindly. He lifted the basket. "I'll put this in the kitchen for you. Adric, add some more wood to the fire. It's getting cold in here, and we wouldn't want our gracious hostess to catch a chill."

Adric stood, but Ellea had already bent to grasp a log and place it on the embers.

"I can do that," Adric offered.

"It's all right," she said, straightening. She swayed slightly, and Adric saw her eyelids flutter. He grabbed her elbow to support her. She gripped his arm for a moment then took a breath.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm all right." She released his arm and took a step back.

"Do you want me to get you some water?" he asked. "You looked like you were going to faint." He glanced at the kitchen, considering calling for the Doctor.

She watched his eyes for a moment. "No, I'm fine. I'm going to begin lunch." She turned, but paused to rest her hand on his cheek. "You're very kind."

The Doctor returned from the kitchen, passing Ellea along the way. He found Adric standing by the fire, staring at the growing flames. The young man did not look up when his companion entered the room.

"Everything all right in here?"

Adric lifted his hands toward the heat. "Oh, yes. I was just about to add a log to the fire."

------

Nyssa sat at a wooden table, head bent over the faded pages before her. She was careful not to touch the brittle paper that Vuir, the healer, had permitted her to view. At first the woman had resisted Nyssa's request, but the young scientist's obvious interest and enthusiasm for the topic had persuaded her to share the precious texts, with the provision that Nyssa touch them only minimally.

There were, in fact, three texts, each wrapped carefully in leather. None were formally bound, which surprised Nyssa initially. Each page had three holes along the left side; they had been held in a binder of some sort at one time. Now, however, they were kept in a chest, each swathed meticulously in a wrapper. The one Nyssa studied at the moment was a basic anatomical text. Vuir had already shown her the pages that detailed medicinal uses of plants. A third book explained common diseases and their treatments, as well as first aid procedures for various injuries.

"Your ancestors were fortunate to have these books with them when they crashed," Nyssa commented.

"Yes. My great-great grandfather was able to rescue them from the ship and keep them safe. He was able to help the others with them over the years. He passed his knowledge on to his daughter, and she to her son."

"So you learned your skills from your father?"

Vuir shook her head. "No, my mother. Among the children in her family she had the most talent for healing."

Nyssa stood to inspect the various dried plants lining the shelves in the house. "Did you acquire all of your knowledge from your mother?"

"Most of it. I still search for new uses for the plants we have here."

"What is this one used for?" Nyssa took a small bowl of dried leaves from the shelf.

"That's for the elderly, when their hearts are irregular in rhythm."

"Oh, of course! It's digitalis purpurea—I believe it's called foxglove on Earth."

"Yes, that's what we call it, too."

"Oh, that's right, your ancestors came from an Earth colony."

Vuir returned the bowl to its place. "Yes. So you must have spent time on Earth?"

"A little."

"What's it like?"

Nyssa smiled. "Parts of it look very much like your planet."

"But the stories from our ancestors—they said that Earth and its colonies had huge buildings, reaching up into the sky, and tubes for travel, tubes that could take a person many miles through the sky in just a few minutes."

"That's true."

"And what do the healers do there?"

"Their work is very much like yours. Like you, they are skilled in knowing which medicines to use to cure diseases and heal injuries."

"Oh," Vuir sighed. "I would love to meet one, to learn from him or her, to have that knowledge."

Nyssa placed her hand upon the woman's arm. "You already have a wealth of knowledge. Everyone here seems quite well."

"Most of them are. But sometimes there are things that I can't heal or cure—"

"There are some diseases and injuries that even now are difficult to treat, even with all the knowledge modern scientists possess."

"Really? Stories from our ancestors indicated that everything could be cured in their colony."

"I think," Nyssa said gently, "that the stories may have changed a bit over time. It seems to me that you're doing a wonderful job, and I appreciate your sharing your books with me."

------

Morra and Tegan sat on a softly woven rug before the fireplace, a small cup and several smooth pebbles lying on the floor between them.

"You win," Morra said, pointing at the greenish rock that had landed closest to Tegan.

The Australian smiled. "I seem to be awfully lucky today."

The child leaned forward to grasp her hand. "Oh no, Tegan, I'm the luckiest person here."

"And why is that?"

"Because I get to play with you!"

Cira stood in the kitchen doorway, watching her daughter and the stranger. Rannal was hunched over the table, busily drawing with a charcoal stick on a flat, smooth piece of stone. His sister's pursuits appeared to interest him little.

Tegan glanced up at Cira. The children's mother still appeared slightly wary of her daughter's new friend. Indeed, she had scolded Rannal for taking Adric out into the hills as soon as he returned with Tegan, but when Morra's face lit up at seeing her recent acquaintance, Cira had relented and welcomed the guest into their home, albeit somewhat warily.

Now Tegan felt that she had overstayed her tenuous welcome. She took up the pebbles and the cup, saying, "One more turn each, then I need to go."

"Really?" the little girl asked. "But it's fun to play with you!"

"You have your brother to play with, and there must be other children, too—"

Rannal looked up from his drawing. "No, there aren't."

Tegan lifted her head in surprise, shifting her gaze to Cira. "Really? No other children here?"

Cira shook her head. "None their ages."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed—" began Tegan.

Cira bent to place her hands on Morra's shoulders, urging her to stand. "Come on, you need to rest now."

"But I'm not tired, Momma," the child protested.

In the flickering firelight, Tegan thought that Morra did, in fact, look a bit pinched and pale. She stood, too.

"Thank you for the game," she said. "Maybe we can play again another time."

"I can play now," Morra began, but Cira picked her up.

"Not until you've had a nap." She walked quickly from the room as Morra started to sniffle.

Suddenly uncomfortable, Tegan headed for the door. She paused for a moment as she passed Rannal. "Tell you mother I'm sorry if I caused any trouble."

The boy looked up with a shrug. "Morra had fun. You made her feel better."

"Is she sick?"

"Just today. She'll be better tomorrow."

"Well, tell her I said good bye." Tegan took a step toward the door, but something drew her eyes to Rannal's slate. She glanced down to see what appeared to her to be several Greek letters mixed with a few numbers and English letters

"What are you making?" she asked, curiosity piqued momentarily.

"Something Adric showed me."

"He showed you those?"

Rannal nodded proudly. "He said I'm good at maths."

With a small shake of her head, Tegan said, "I suppose he'd know. I'll see you later."

The boy returned to his project the moment she had left his side.

------

The rain had slackened somewhat, permitting Tegan to return to Gerran's house without getting too wet. The air was chilly, however, and she was quite happy to find a cheerful fire blazing in the living room when she entered the house.

The Doctor and Adric were sitting at the table talking, but they greeted her and beckoned her to join them.

"Did you have fun playing?" asked Adric.

"Morra's a sweet little girl," Tegan replied. "I think she was glad to have the company."

"Really? Why do you say that?" inquired the Doctor.

"Cira said that there aren't any other children her age in the village. Rannal's the closest one."

"That's surprising," the Doctor commented. "Gerran told me that there are one hundred fifty people here. I had assumed that at least a quarter of them were children."

"Did you see any other children today?" asked Tegan.

"Now that you mention it, no. I thought I heard a baby cry, and I do recall seeing a boy just a bit younger than you," he nodded toward Adric.

"That's strange," said Tegan. "There seem to be plenty of people young enough to have children."

The Doctor tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Possibly it's just a statistical anomaly."

Tegan was about to ask for clarification, but Adric said, "It's a coincidence that the population is clustered at certain ages. If we were to return in ten years we'd find an average number of children."

"Yes. It may be that a large number of children were born say twenty or twenty-five years ago, but few of those have had children of their own yet."

"But what about Cira?" asked Tegan.

"I said 'few of those', Tegan, not 'none.'"

"Well, there's one simple way to find out," Tegan said. She stood and headed toward the kitchen, where she could hear Ellea working. In a few seconds she returned with their hostess.

"Yes?" Ellea asked. "Tegan said you needed me to help you with something."

"I hope you'll excuse our curiosity," the Doctor said rather apologetically, "but we've noticed very few children here."

Ellea rested her hand on the back of a chair; her eyes flicked from Tegan's to the Doctor's to Adric's face.

"Neema just had a baby," she said finally, "and Lyrid is expecting one in a few months."

"But aside from Morra and Rannal, are there other children?" the Doctor asked.

"There' an older boy who's thirteen."

"But no others?"

Ellea shook her head.

"You and Gerran don't have any?" asked Adric.

Tegan shot him a reprimanding glance. "We'd know if they did," she said.

"No," Ellea replied softly, "we don't." She turned back to the kitchen. "Lunch is almost ready. Gerran will be home soon." She disappeared through the doorway.

"That was rude, Adric!" Tegan hissed.

"What?" he asked, truly perplexed.

"Asking if she and Gerran had children. You can see that they don't."

"Why is that rude?" he persisted.

"Because—" Tegan hesitated. "Well, it just is."

"Well, I didn't know that," the boy protested.

"Now you do," she said firmly.

Adric shook his head. "I'll never understand humans."

Tegan leaned forward. "And I'll never understand Alzarians! Why on earth would you show Rannal complicated equations?"

Adric appeared surprised by her question. "What?"

"Equations with Greek symbols—sigma and pi and stuff. He can't understand that. He's much too young."

"Why would you think I taught him complex equations? And anyway, maybe he isn't too young. When I was his age I was fully capable of understanding equations with three variables, which is something you can't do even now—"

The Doctor stood. "Tegan, why don't you see if you can help Ellea with lunch."

She rose, too. "I was just about to do that. Unlike some people, I have manners!" She stalked out of the room.

"Do you think the boy has superior mathematics capabilities?" the Doctor asked Adric with some interest.

"He seems bright enough, but he's not anywhere nearly as advanced as an Elite of his age." He glanced at the kitchen. "And I can't imagine why she thinks I taught him equations. He barely understood simple multiplication."


	4. Chapter 4

The rain continued for most of the day. Gerran did not return to his garden after lunch but remained in the house, enjoying the opportunity to speak with his guests. Several other villagers knocked tentatively at the door shortly after lunch, eager to see and perhaps interact with the visitors. By mid-afternoon nearly two dozen people had crowded into the sitting room and dining area, where the Doctor answered their endless questions about the people and sights he had seen during his travels. Tegan noticed, however, that he refrained from mentioning Terileptils, the Mara, the Master, or any other frightening creatures he had encountered, instead focusing his tales upon more benign aspects of the planets he had visited.

The residents were particularly fascinated with information about the Earth, and Tegan was glad to join in with facts and observations about her home. Indeed, she was able to provide more satisfactory answers to queries about customs and typical activities than the Time Lord could. His views were clearly that of a participant observer, while hers contained the richness and heart-felt detail that only a native could provide.

Nyssa returned mid-afternoon. She had shared a simple meal with Vuir as they continued their discussion about herbs. The young Traken woman was clearly impressed with the knowledge acquired by the healer. While Vuir did not understand the biochemical processes that contributed to her herbs' efficacy, she knew a great deal about their uses and effects. Nyssa had begun a rudimentary explanation of basic chemical structures and reactions, to which Vuir responded with interest. However, when Lyrid, the pregnant woman, came to the healer's house Nyssa excused herself with a promise to continue their discussion later.

As darkness began to fall, the villagers reluctantly returned to their own homes. The Doctor cheerfully suggested that they return after supper, but Gerran told the group that the guests would see them in the morning.

"I would have been glad to continue later tonight," the Time Lord said as the last visitor was waved out the door.

"No, Doctor," Gerran said, "we try to remain in our homes after dark."

"Really? And why is that?"

Gerran raised the wick in the lantern near the door. "It's safer to stay inside at night."

"Are there predatory animals out there?" asked Adric, remembering that he had been out in the open with Rannal only hours ago.

"Yes. But they're nocturnal; they don't hunt during the day."

"Dingoes?" inquired Tegan.

Gerran shook his head. "I don't know what those are."

"Wild dogs with big, sharp teeth," Tegan clarified.

"Oh, no. These are more like… pigs."

"Ah, perhaps similar to javalina?" the Doctor suggested.

"Come on, Doctor, even I don't know what those are!" Tegan said. "They're from where, Jupiter?"

"Jupiter cannot sustain mammalian life," the Time Lord corrected. "Javalinas are wild boars that live in the southwestern portion of North America. They can be quite unpleasant when threatened or provoked."

"So wild pigs roam around out there at night?" Tegan said.

"Yes. It's safer to stay inside," Gerran confirmed.

After supper Gerran and the Doctor drank spicy herbal tea and discussed the various issues faced by the village. Providing light and warmth was one consistent problem. The supply of wood was limited to the scrubby bushes growing amidst the hills. The trees in the surrounding area had been cut down years ago for lumber for the houses.

Running a hand over the wall, the Doctor said, "These were oak trees."

"Yes," Gerran said with mild surprise, "that's what my grandfather called them. He built this house."

"And the metal and plastic were salvaged from the wreckage?"

"The wreckage? Oh, of our ancestors' ship—yes, they were."

"And the glass that you use for your windows came from the same source," the Doctor added. The windows were made of bits of glass held together by metal, much like a crude form of stained glass. They permitted light to enter but afforded relatively poor views.

"Yes. As our population has grown we've had to share the glass, so most of us only have one or two windows now."

"Would you like to learn how to produce more glass?"

Gerran blinked in awe. "You know how to make glass?"

The Doctor smiled. "It's quite simple. You just need a few tools. I'm sure I could rig something for you if I can't find what I need."

"We would be grateful."

"And I may have a solution for your heating and lighting problem, too."

"Really?"

"Let me think about it for a while longer. I have several ideas."

Tegan and Nyssa had been helping Ellea with the dishes, but now they returned to the sitting room. Adric sat near the fire scratching away on his notepad. When the Doctor rose to carry the cups back to the kitchen, Tegan caught his arm and led him toward her bedroom.

"Yes, Tegan, what is it?" he asked rather warily.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm returning these mugs to Ellea—"

"No, I don't mean that! You're going to teach them to make glass and electricity."

"I never said I was going to help them harness electricity, though it's not a bad idea, really. I was thinking more along the lines of—"

"But you said they weren't ready for technological advances."

"No, I did not say that. They aren't ready for space travel, but if we can help them with a few small improvements that will make their lives easier, there's no harm in that."

Tegan rubbed her arms in the chilly hallway. The only source of heat in the house was the fireplace in the sitting room. "Well, I suppose they could use a better heating system," she conceded.

"Believe me, Tegan, I'm well aware of the fine line between assistance and interference. I don't intend to cross it."

------

Gerran and the Doctor talked for several hours, occasionally joined by Tegan, Nyssa, and Adric as the conversation turned to subjects that sparked their individual interests. Ellea sat quietly near the fire sewing a patchwork quilt that she explained was her own personal design. She appeared to listen but rarely spoke. Tegan had the feeling that their hostess was still a bit in awe of the guests. Ellea's eyelids began to droop as the conversation continued, and she finally excused herself to go to bed.

Adric had been suppressing yawns for nearly an hour before Tegan finally told him that he should go to bed if he was sleepy. Hesitant to leave the discussion, he protested, "I'm not tired."

"Then why have you been yawning?" responded Tegan. "You can barely keep your eyes open."

"I'm just fine," he retorted.

Nyssa leaned over to rest her hand on his arm. "You do look tired, Adric."

"Look, I'm not a child who needs to be told when to go to bed—"

"Of course you aren't," Nyssa replied, standing. "If you'll all excuse me, I think I'll say good night." She smiled down at Adric then walked out of the room.

The others had stopped talking for the moment. When another yawn threatened Adric, he felt three sets of eyes upon him. Finally he stood. "Good night," he said somewhat tersely.

"Sleep well," Tegan called after him.

The Doctor and Gerran were already immersed in conversation again. Tegan listened for a while, but their topic had shifted to energy sources. The Doctor was explaining how solar power worked, and Tegan found her own eyelids growing heavy with his discourse. She wished the men good night and retreated to her room.

Nyssa sat upon the bed, writing on a small tablet by the light of a single candle.

"I thought you were tired," the Australian said as she quickly undressed and slipped under the covers.

"Oh, not really. But I could tell that Adric didn't want to leave while we were all still talking."

Tegan nodded. "That was nice of you. What are you working on?"

Nyssa glanced up. "I'm making some simple diagrams for Vuir. She's very interested in understanding how some of the herbal remedies work, so I'm going to teach her some basic chemistry."

"Sounds fascinating," Tegan said wryly, settling back against the pillow.

"Will the light bother you?"

Tegan turned toward the wall. "No."

"Good night, Tegan."

"'Night."

Nyssa bent her head an continued to work on her diagram.

------

The Doctor and Gerran talked for another hour. Finally Gerran, with some reluctance, stood and went to the door. He checked the lantern that burned just outside the doorway then came back inside. "I'm sure I could listen to you for the entire night," he said, "but I should go to bed now. The goats will need attention first thing in the morning."

"Of course. I may stay up a bit longer."

"Please make yourself at home. But Doctor, do remain inside."

"Ah yes, the wild boars."

Gerran nodded then extended his hand. "Good night."

"Sleep well."

The Doctor remained near the fire for some time, finally adding another log then walking quietly down the hallway toward his room. He opened the door softly. A candle still burned on the small table between the two beds. Adric was curled on his mattress beneath the quilt. His breathing was even and slow; he was deeply asleep. He made a small noise, something like a moan, and the Doctor bent over him for a moment to see that his eyes moved quickly beneath his lids. The boy's brow furrowed for an instant, and his shoulders twitched. The quilt shifted with the movement.

The Doctor pulled the cover back up, tucking it gently around Adric. "Sweet dreams," he whispered. "Only happy memories tonight."

Adric's features relaxed, and he seemed to sigh softly in his sleep. The Doctor sat down upon his bed. He reached for the notepad and pencil that Adric had left on the table, flipping to an unused page to begin making a few notes of his own. However, a vague dissonance niggled at the back of his mind and he finally turned back the page to study Adric's work. He crossed out a number and wrote a correction above it. He glanced at the sleeping boy with a shake of his head. There really was no excuse for such a careless error.

------

The Doctor did not sleep, but he permitted himself to close his eyes for an hour or two of rest. When the room began to lighten with the first hints of dawn, he opened his eyes. He heard a faint noise from within the house. He stood to move to the door, listening carefully. Someone was moving about quietly at the front of the house. A quick look at Adric told him that the young man would sleep for some time, but if someone were awake he might find a companion with whom he could share a cup of tea. At the very least he could help with the fire or light the oven for Ellea.

The Doctor opened the door and walked down the hall with muffled footsteps, pausing for a moment at Tegan and Nyssa's doorway to listen. He heard both young women breathing softly. As he reached the sitting room, he heard a small click and saw the door just closing. It was still gray outside; dawn would not break for some time. Perhaps Gerran had gone to attend to the animals. He could see the glow of a lantern through the window, bobbing slightly with its bearer's steps, moving away from the house.

The Doctor returned to the fireplace, adding a large log to the embers then stoking it until it began to smoke slightly. Satisfied that the room would soon begin to warm, he went into the kitchen, intending to prepare the stone oven for Ellea. To his surprise there was already a small fire burning, and a pot of water, half full, sat nearby. The water was still hot, but he added some more and pushed the pot back toward the fire. He found the tea easily, and after a few minutes he had prepared a cup of the naturally fragrant brew. He returned to the sitting room to check the fire. It was burning well, and the room was starting to feel cozier.

He settled by the fireplace to drink his tea.

When the door opened some time later, shortly after daybreak, he was surprised to see Ellea enter the house. She held an empty basket over her arm.

"Good morning," he greeted cheerfully, standing.

Her eyes flicked to him, and she gasped. "Oh!" She leaned against the door for a moment for support, her face blanching.

The Doctor hurried to her, taking the basket and leading her to a chair. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I—" She had placed her hand on the chair but did not sit down. "I just didn't expect anyone to be up this early. It's still almost like a dream, having you and your friends here." She took a breath and smoothed her skirt over her stomach.

The Doctor watched her movements for a moment. The color still had not returned to her face. She reached for the basket, and her hand brushed against his. Her fingers were cold. He rested his hand over hers for a moment.

"It's a chilly morning," he said. "I've already made some tea. Will you have a cup with me?"

"I need to start breakfast," she began.

"I'll help you."

She took a few small steps toward the kitchen, seeming hesitant for an instant. "That's not necessary."

"Well, at least let me get you that tea."

She looked back at him. "All right. Thank you."

He followed her into the kitchen. She set the basket on a shelf as he poured hot water into a mug for her. When he turned to offer it to her, he found that she was leaning over the basin with a hand pressed to her mouth.

He set the mug beside her. "This should help to settle your stomach."

She nodded and reached for it, swallowing hard before she lifted it to her lips.

"You should try to get some extra rest," he said kindly. "Perhaps Gerran can attend to the animals until you've passed the worst of it."

She looked at him with large eyes, setting the mug aside. She gripped the edge of the table, her knees seeming to falter beneath her. The Doctor stepped forward immediately to take her shoulders and gently ease her onto the bench. She stared up into his face, lifting her hands.

"Good morning," Nyssa's blithe voice greeted them from the doorway.

The Doctor offered Ellea a reassuring smile then straightened and turned toward his friend. "Good morning, Nyssa," he said. "Ellea and I were just about to have some tea. Let me make some for you as well."

He set Ellea's cup next to her. She took a small sip, watching the Doctor intently. The warmth of the beverage seemed to bring some color back to her face. As the Time Lord and Nyssa exchanged morning pleasantries, she stood and began to prepare breakfast. Gerran joined them in a few minutes.

Tegan emerged from her room just before breakfast was ready. She helped Nyssa to set the table.

"I suppose one of us should wake Adric," she said. "I'm sure he won't want to miss breakfast."

The Doctor brought a loaf of bread from the kitchen and placed it on the table. "Ellea has asked us to be seated," he said.

"We have one more job for you," said Tegan, "since you're in such a helpful mood this morning."

The Doctor appeared slightly affronted, but before he could speak Tegan continued, "Someone needs to wake up Adric."

"Is he still sleeping?" asked the Doctor. "Growing boys… I'll get him."

He walked quickly down the hallway, opening the door to the shared room and permitting light from the small window in the hall to fill the chamber. "Time to get up, Adric!" he said brightly.

The Alzarian covered his eyes with his arm. "Already?" he mumbled.

"Yes. Ellea has breakfast ready."

Adric sat up blearily, rubbing at his eyes. "I'll be there in a minute."

The Doctor smiled slightly at the mussed hair and sleep-swollen eyes. It occurred to him that he had never awakened Adric before. On the TARDIS the crew slept and woke according to their own personal rhythms, and forced wakefulness was rarely required. As he turned to leave the room, he commented, "Oh, I've made a correction in your calculations."

"A correction?"

"Yes, on the second page—you'll see. You should really try to work more carefully." He slipped out the doorway before Adric could respond.

Frowning, Adric took the notepad and flipped to the indicated page. His frown deepened and he shook his head. "This doesn't make any sense," he muttered. "He's the one who's mistaken."

He set the pad back on the table, resting his head in his hands with a deep sigh.

------

Nyssa went to Vuir's house after breakfast, and Rannal appeared once again at Gerran's doorway to request his new friend's attentions. Immediately the child grasped Adric's hand, urging him toward the door. "I have something else to show you today!" he said ebulliently.

Adric looked down at the boy. "I have some calculations I want to work on," he began.

"Oh Adric," said Tegan, "that can wait until later. You're always doing maths! Go out and get some fresh air with your playmate." She grinned.

"He's not my playmate!" Adric protested, but Rannal's hurt expression changed his tack. "I mean," he amended, looking at the boy, "I'm glad to spend time with you, but I'm not a playmate like Morra is—I'm much older than you, like an adult."

Rannal, somewhat placated by Adric's tone, shrugged. "I don't care how old you are. I just like playing with you and having you show me maths, and I can show you my favorite place—"

"Rannal," Gerran interjected, his voice sterner than the visitors had heard it during the previous day, "you know you're only permitted to go to the west hills, no further, and to no other areas. And don't be gone long. You're expected at worship before lunch."

"Yes, Uncle," the child replied obediently. "I know." He gave Adric's hand a tug. "Come on!"

"All right," Adric said, "I'm coming. Where's Morra today?" He gave Tegan a taunting glance.

"Oh, she's at home. She's helping Momma today."

"But she's feeling better?" asked Tegan.

Rannal nodded. "I guess so."

"See you later," Adric called as Rannal urged him out the door.

"He's your nephew?" Tegan asked Gerran.

Their host nodded. "Yes. His father was Ellea's brother."

"Was?" the Doctor repeated. "Has something happened to him?"

Gerran glanced at Ellea, who had begun to clear the dishes. He waited a moment until she had stepped into the kitchen. "He's… He died, over a year ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tegan said. "What happened?"

"There was an accident," Gerran said in a low voice. "Ellea is still upset by it—we all are."

The Doctor nodded. "You have our sympathies. I see now why Rannal has taken to Adric so readily. He must miss having an older male in his life."

Gerran nodded. "He does. He and his father were close—always walking out to explore. Cira does her best, but with the house and Morra she doesn't have much time for games and excursions."

"At least he has Morra to play with," Tegan said, trying to muster some cheer.

Gerran nodded. "Yes, I suppose so."

Ellea returned, and her husband tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Doctor," he said, "I've been thinking quite a lot about your offer to show us how to make glass. When can you start?"

The Doctor smiled. "We can begin today." He turned to Tegan. "Would you like to take a little walk with me?"

"Where?" Tegan squinted slightly in good-natured suspicion.

"Just to the nearest stream or river. I noticed one not far from here as Nyssa and I were walking—perhaps just half a kilometer or so."

Tegan replied, "I thought I'd see if I could help Cira today. It sounds like she could use it."

"She's preparing for worship this morning," Gerran said. "She won't do any housework until the afternoon."

"Is today your Sabbath?" asked Tegan.

"Sabbath? I've read that term before," Gerran responded. "That's a day for worship, isn't it? I suppose you could call today our Sabbath. Once each week we gather for worship together. Isn't this something that your people do?"

Tegan nodded. "Yes, it is—though not everyone does it."

"No? Everyone in our village participates." Gerran paused for a moment. "I hope you'll pardon us if we leave you on your own for a few hours."

"Of course," said the Doctor. "We certainly don't want to disrupt your routines. And I'm sure we can find plenty of ways to occupy ourselves." He stood up. "Are you ready, Tegan?"

"I wish I could accompany you," said Gerran, "but I need to attend to the goats. I should have gone out earlier. Time has got away from me, I'm afraid."

"Oh, Ellea has—" began the Doctor, but their hostess quickly interjected.

"I've gathered some food for them. It's just outside." She gestured toward the door then quickly returned to the kitchen. "Doctor," she called, "I can pack a basket for you if you want to go out to the hills."

"Thank you, but you don't need to bother," he said. "We shouldn't be too long, particularly if the weather doesn't hold up."

"There's no rain expected today," said Gerran.

"No? You're either quite optimistic or you have a secret barometer hidden away somewhere," the Time Lord replied pleasantly.

Gerran gave a half-smile. "I can usually tell when it will rain by the scent of the wind."

"Inside the house? That's quite impressive!"

A movement of color near the front door caught the Doctor's momentary attention, but when he looked in its direction he saw nothing. Gerran stood. "I'll see you at lunchtime, I hope. And as I told the boy, you should avoid the hills to the east and south. The wild boars live in that area, and they may come out during the day if they sense intruders."

"Thank you," the Doctor said. "We'll keep that in mind."

He and Tegan left the house, noticing that several residents milled about nearby, hoping to see the visitors. They waved and greeted the curious folks amicably.

"Doctor! Tegan!" A woman's voice hailed them from nearby.

They turned to see Cira hurrying toward them.

"Is something wrong?" asked Tegan.

"Have you seen Rannal this morning?" Cira panted slightly with her exertions.

"Yes, he came for Adric just a few minutes ago," Tegan replied. "He wanted to take Adric somewhere—he said to his favorite place."

Cira frowned. "I told him to remain in the village! Worship is this morning."

"Do you know where he's gone?" the Doctor asked.

Cira nodded. "Probably out to the river. He loves to gather rocks there and watch the fish."

"Well," the Doctor smiled, "we're on our way to the river, too. We'll send Rannal back as soon as we see him."

"Would you? Thank you, Doctor. That will save me quite a bit of time."

"Where's Morra?" asked Tegan.

"Oh, she's helping prepare the house of worship—Rannal should be there, too. I don't know what to do with that boy sometimes." She sighed.

"We'll send him along to you," the Doctor promised.

The walk to the river was not long, and the day was pleasant with few clouds, just as promised by Gerran. As they descended a small rise, they saw the river stretching before them. A few trees grew near the banks, but most had been cut down for building materials and firewood. Low bushes clustered about, many heavy with ripening berries. Rannal's head popped up from behind a bush; he wore a delighted expression on his face.

"Rannal!" called Tegan, waving.

The boy looked up at her with a scowl. He lifted his hand to his lips and shook his head. As they neared him, he said, "Sshh! We're playing hide-an-seek."

"Is Adric the one hiding now?" asked Tegan with a grin.

Rannal nodded.

Tegan said, "Then you don't need to be quiet. He does."

"I know where he is anyway," Rannal said. "I'm much better at this game than he is."

"Well, if you know where he is, run and find him. Your mother wants you to return home right away," the Doctor informed the child.

"Oh." Rannal's face fell. He looked back at a clump of bushes about five meters away. "Bye, Adric!" Without another glance he skipped away, back toward the village.

"Adric," called Tegan, "you can come out now. The game's over."

There was no response. The Doctor had gone toward the river bank and bent to study the soil and rock. Tegan's eyes moved over the bushes. "Come on, Adric!"

Growing slightly annoyed, she began walking toward the bushes that Rannal had indicated. "Adric! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

She heard a rustle beside her and turned to see Adric crouched beneath a bush just a few meters away, near the area where she had first seen Rannal.

"Either you're really good at this game or Rannal is really bad," she commented as she neared the bushes.

Adric remained beneath the shrub. His head was down so she could not see his face. 

"Okay, Adric, now this is just getting silly. Come on! Your game's over. Rannal had to go home." She bent down to touch his shoulder. "Adric!"

Slowly he lifted his head to look up at her. "Tegan?"

"Yes—same one who's been calling you for the last five minutes."

He crawled out from the branches, blinking in the bright sunshine as he stood. He shielded his eyes with his hand. "What are you doing here?"

"The Doctor wanted to come out to the river. He's going to show Gerran how to make glass, and he's looking for sand."

Adric's gaze moved to the Time Lord, who squatted beside the water. "Where's Rannal?"

Tegan shook her head. "What did you do, cover your ears? You really took the game seriously!"

Adric's blank expression encouraged her to continue. "His mother wanted him to come home. There's a worship service today, and he has to help set up. Didn't you hear us telling him?"

Adric blinked again, squinting. "No."

Tegan sighed in exasperation. Sometimes the boy's head was so full of calculations that he seemed to be off in another world. She turned to join the Doctor by the riverside.

He was running his hand over the sandy soil.

"Will it work?" she asked as she crouched beside him.

"We'll have to filter it to remove the organic matter, but I think we can procure sufficient quantities here to make enough glass for several windows initially. Once I've shown them the process, they can obtain more sand."

Adric had walked toward them at a very leisurely pace. Looking over his shoulder, the Doctor said, "This soil contains about forty percent sand, of which approximately eighty percent is silica. The weight of this is …" He lifted a handful of soil, then finished, "thirty grams. If we can produce one kilogram of glass for every one point four kilograms of sand, we would need about—" He paused to glance at Adric.

The Alzarian was staring at the rushing water. He did not appear to notice his companion's look.

"Adric?" the Doctor prompted.

"Hmm? What?"

"How many kilograms of this sand would we need to produce ten kilograms of glass?"

Adric blinked. "It's…" He stared at the soil in the Doctor's hand. "That's how much?"

"About thirty grams." The Doctor's tone bordered on vexation.

Adric's eyes moved over the water. "It would be…" His voice was almost languid. He lifted his hand. "What's that?"

Tegan followed his gesture with he gaze. He was pointing at something light that lay about fifty centimeters beneath the clear water. It was stationary and seemed firmly snagged on something.

The Doctor peered across the river. "How interesting," he murmured, shaking the soil from his hand as he stood. He walked a few paces along the bank, rolling up his sleeves as he did. He dipped his hand into the water to feel the object. Tegan and Adric joined him, craning their necks to see what he had found.

"What is it?" asked Tegan.

"It feels like a pipe," replied the Doctor. He continued to move his hand over it. "Yes, it's definitely a pipe, and it feels as though it's made of plastic."

"A plastic pipe here?" Tegan was surprised.

"It's not terribly surprising," the Doctor said. "Plastic compounds can last for hundreds of years. But I wonder where it goes."

"Is it angled?" asked Adric.

The Doctor nodded.

"So the water flows into it," the Alzarian said. "I'll bet it goes back to the village. It must be an irrigation system."

He had leaned over the water to try to obtain a better view of the pipe. Tegan watched a small, silvery fish swim by, apparently undaunted by the Doctor's hand. A drop of red appeared on the surface, quickly spreading and dissipating in the flow. It was followed by a second drop. Tegan frowned in confusion. The drops were falling into the water. She looked up.

"Cripes, Adric! You're bleeding!"

The boy straightened and immediately wiped his hand over his nose. "No, I—" He stared at the blood on his fingers for a moment.

"Another nosebleed?" The Doctor had risen, too, and quickly reached for his handkerchief. "Head back," he reminded Adric, once again holding the cloth firmly over his nose.

"I can do it," Adric muttered, pushing the Doctor's hand away.

"Here, sit down," Tegan encouraged, taking his elbow and lowering Adric to the ground. She knelt beside him. "Keep your head back."

"I know!" he murmured.

"My brother used to have a lot of nosebleeds," Tegan said. "But he outgrew them when he was a teenager."

Adric's eyes darted to her face. "I'm not your brother!" he snapped.

"No, you're certainly not!" Tegan, momentarily stung by his tone, stood up. "I was just trying to help."

Adric had closed his eyes in the bright sunlight. His fingers pinched his nose hard enough to whiten his knuckles. The Doctor had been scanning the nearby bushes, but now he returned his attention to the young man. "No, Adric, don't grip so hard. You could rupture more capillaries." He touched Adric's hand lightly.

Adric loosened his grip slightly, and after about thirty seconds the Doctor bent down to move the handkerchief aside. "Hmm," he commented perfunctorily, "keep that in place for a few minutes longer."

Despite his casual tone, Tegan noticed a flicker of concern in his eyes. He watched Adric for several moments then returned to the bank to examine the pipe once more. "It must be buried fairly deeply," he said, tapping at the bank above it with the toe of his boot.

"If it goes all the way to the village, it must have been quite a job to bury it," said Tegan.

"Yes. Of course, they've had over two hundred years to do it, so perhaps it was completed in stages." He watched the water flowing by. "If they have access to running water in the village, it's possible that they could generate electricity—"

"Doctor," Tegan reprimanded, "don't you think that's going a bit too far?"

Adric stood up, lowering the handkerchief.

"Has it stopped?" inquired the Doctor, beckoning the boy to his side.

Adric nodded. "Yes, I think so." He bent down to splash some cold water over his face, rubbing at the area around his nose.

"Gently, Adric," cautioned the Doctor, tilting the young man's chin up for a moment to see that the bleeding had indeed ceased.

Somewhat self-consciously Adric immersed the handkerchief in the river, permitting the cold water to wash out most of the blood. He kept his eyes on the water as he worked at rubbing out the rest. When the cloth was clean again, he wrung it out then tucked it into his belt, hesitant to return it to its owner while it was still wet.

"Perhaps we should be getting back," the Doctor said. Looking at Adric, he added, "It's probably best to get you away from here and from whatever is causing this allergic reaction."

Adric frowned. "I told you yesterday—Alzarians don't have allergies!"

"Perhaps an Alzarian has never visited a planet with precisely these conditions," the Doctor suggested, then, before Adric could protest, he said, "Come along, you two. I want to see how this irrigation system works."

He walked briskly ahead, Tegan and Adric following a few paces behind. They climbed up the small rise that lay between the river and the village. The Doctor paused at the top to wait for them, looking out over the region. Tegan skimmed the batholiths that extruded from the earth all around them. The village lay just ahead, nestled between two of the rocky hills.

"I think I can see a bit of the pipe just over there," Tegan said, pointing at a light spot about half-way between them and the village.

The Doctor squinted. "Yes, it looks like some of the earth washed away, perhaps during yesterday's rain. The pipe must not be buried very deeply. I can see more in that direction."

They descended the hill and walked toward the exposed pipe. The Doctor bent to study it. "Definitely a plastic compound," he said.

"This stretches for what, nearly a kilometer? They must have had an awful lot of piping with them," said Tegan.

"Perhaps they salvaged it from the ship," Adric suggested.

The Doctor had already walked on, heading for the next bit of exposed pipe. It lay toward the edge of the village, near the base of a batholith. He reached it within a few minutes. When Adric and Tegan had joined him, he pointed, saying, "You see that this actually runs in nearly a straight line from the river, excepting the area they must have had to alter to go around the hill we climbed. This must go to the gardens, which are just there." He gestured toward the small homes clustered about two hundred meters away.

As he studied the pipe, tapping at it with his fingers, Tegan's eyes ran over the base of the batholith. It was imposing from this angle, and she could see various cracks and crevices, some nearly a meter wide, between the large, rocky sections. A brightly colored bird flapped by overhead, and she looked up to see its crimson feathers glint in the sunshine. She had never seen a bird exactly that color, and she watched it for a moment as it swooped around the hill, alighting perhaps twenty meters away. Tegan walked toward the bird, hoping to have a better look.

As she neared it, it fluttered its wings and shot into the air. "Rabbits!" she muttered, still watching it as it flew away. It gave a plaintive cry as it disappeared around the edge of the mound.

Tegan heard a second cry and thought for an instant that the bird was returning, but she realized after a second of thought that this noise was different. It was almost like a wail. Her first thought was that one of the children was nearby and must be frightened or hurt.

"Hello?" she called.

Another low moan floated down from a few meters above her. She looked up, just catching a glimpse of movement among the rocks. Had she seen a head with shaggy hair? She took a step back to try to obtain a better view. When she tilted her head back again she was surprised to see a small shower of dirt and pebbles raining down on her. Instinctively she lunged forward toward the face of the batholith, small pellets of debris stinging at her shoulders and back.

Tegan pressed her body against the rock, dust surrounding her, making her cough. She could hear larger rocks slamming to the ground, churning up more dust. Smaller stones pelted her back and calves. She held her arms over her head, clapping her hands over her ears to drown out the thundering rubble. Her heart raced in fear; she was certain that she would be buried in the rockslide. She stopped breathing and squeezed her eyes shut.


	5. Chapter 5

"Tegan!" The Doctor's voice cut through the dust and haze. Tegan realized that the rumbling had ceased; the rocks were no long falling. She felt a touch at her shoulder, flinching back until she recognized the feel of a firm yet comforting hand.

She opened her eyes, but she seemed enveloped in a dusky, dry cloud. She coughed, trying to inhale but finding that only dirt seemed to enter her nose and mouth. She felt herself guided sideways, then felt the Doctor wrap his arm around her waist and swing her up off of the ground. She blinked through the dissipating dust to see that he had lifted her over the small pile of rock that lay directly before the area where she had sought shelter. She coughed again.

"Adric," she heard the Doctor say, "give me the handkerchief."

The Doctor wiped the damp cloth over her nose and mouth, and Tegan took a tentative breath, grateful when she inhaled only clean, fresh air. He moved the kerchief over her eyes, and when she opened them fully she saw that he was standing before her, gazing at her with concern. His left hand rested gently on her shoulder.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I think so."

He brushed some dust from her hair and shoulders then ran his hands over her arms, commenting after a moment, "No broken bones," before granting her a brief, relieved smile.

She rubbed her palm over her forehead to remove some scratchy dirt, and he frowned, taking her hand to study if for a moment. She looked down to see several small cuts across her knuckle and wrist. Her other hand bore similar evidence of the rocky shower.

Tegan looked back at the rubble, then glanced up again at the area from which the whine had come. "I thought I heard a noise," she said. "I was afraid that one of the children was hurt or scared."

The Doctor was wiping her hand with the cloth, but he glanced up at her. "Really? I didn't hear anything. Did you, Adric?"

The Alzarian shook his head. "No, but I'll go and have a look." He walked toward the rockslide.

Tegan watched him for a moment, then lifted her eyes to the Doctor's face. "Cripes, what happened?"

"A rockslide," the Doctor replied.

"I know that. But what caused it?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Possibly a slight temblor."

Adric was calling Rannal's and Morra's names, but there was no reply. After a few minutes he returned to his companions. "I didn't hear anything. Maybe you heard an animal or the wind," he suggested.

"Gerran did mention that this area bordered the wild boars' territory," the Doctor said. "You may have heard one of them."

Tegan shook her head. "It sounded human, like a wail."

"Animals' cries often seem almost human," the Doctor reminded her. "A peacock's cry has been mistaken for a woman's scream many times. I believe it has even resulted in police calls on more than one occasion."

"It wasn't a peacock, that's for sure," Tegan said.

"Well, whatever it was, it may still be out here. Let's get back to Gerran's house and get you cleaned up." The Doctor touched her elbow to encourage her to begin walking.

They reached the house within fifteen minutes, relieved to hear no animal or human noises as they walked along. Indeed, the village was quiet; the residents, they surmised, must still be at their worship. When they entered the house they found Nyssa sitting at the table with several pages spread before her.

"Oh, I'm glad you're back," she began, then stood immediately and hurried toward Tegan. "What happened?"

"There was a rockslide," Adric replied.

Nyssa touched Tegan's arm. "Are you all right?"

"Just a bit dusty is all," Tegan answered. "I wouldn't mind a hot bath."

"Doctor," Nyssa said, "would you heat some water for her?"

"Of course. See that the wounds on her hands are cleaned."

Nyssa began leading Tegan toward the bathroom but changed her mind and steered her to the bedroom instead. "Let's give the Doctor a few minutes to fill the tub," she said.

Tegan's legs began to feel wobbly as she recalled the rock showering down upon her. She sank down gratefully on the bed. Nyssa lifted her hands to examine the cuts then smiled reassuringly. "They aren't very deep. Vuir showed me an antiseptic that she makes from several plant sources. It should have excellent antibacterial properties. She told me that everyone has a bottle or two. I'll see if I can find Ellea's."

Nyssa went to the bathroom and looked in the small cabinet mounted upon the wall, but all she found there were several clean rags used as towels and two bars of home-made, fragrant soap. She quickly walked to the kitchen. The Doctor was heating a large kettle of water.

"How is she?" he asked.

"I think she's a little shaken," Nyssa replied, already opening the cupboard and searching inside. She removed several bottles and uncorked them to give their contents a sniff. None had the smell she remembered from the antiseptic Vuir had shown her. She reached back for a bottle that she glimpsed behind a basket. She could see that the basket held several items, and, not wishing to dislodge them, she took the basket from the shelf, setting it aside without looking at the contents. The bottle that she found behind it contained the antiseptic.

Nyssa lifted the basket to return it to its place. "Oh!" she said, her eyes falling upon its contents.

"What is it?" asked the Doctor.

Nyssa touched the knit booties and small, soft blanket folded neatly at the bottom of the basket. "It has some baby items in it." She lifted the booties; beneath them she saw embroidery at the edge of the blanket. "There's a name on this," she said softly.

The Doctor came to her side to look at the blanket. "Lara," he read.

"How very sad." Nyssa rested her fingers upon the name.

"Sad?" The Doctor appeared momentarily confused by her comment.

"Yes, Doctor. This must have belonged to a child who died."

"Why do you say that? Perhaps they're thinking ahead."

"But they wouldn't have a name put on the blanket. They wouldn't know if the child was a boy or a girl. And these booties have been used. Do you see that the laces are frayed?"

"Yes. But these may have belonged to another family."

"Perhaps." Nyssa carefully returned the basket to its place on the shelf. "But I have a very strong feeling that this belonged to Ellea's and Gerran's child."

------

After he had filled the bathtub with hot water, the Doctor took Adric outside to investigate the irrigation system. They walked toward the gardens, through the quiet village.

"They must still be in worship," the Doctor commented as they strolled along.

"I wonder what sort of religion they have?"

"Their ancestors were from an Earth colony, and from their coloring I'd guess that they were originally of European descent, so most likely their religion is some form of Judeo-Christianity."

"Which means what?"

"They believe in a supreme being who oversees their lives and their world."

Adric smiled. "That sounds like most religions I've heard about."

"Yes, such a belief is quite common throughout the universe, though less than one thousand years ago the people on Earth practiced polytheism… Ah, here we are." The Doctor stopped at the edge of the gardens.

"See if you can find any pipes or channels."

Adric began to explore among the leaves, wandering toward the far side of the cultivated area. He found a deep but narrow trench that he could see led into the center of the garden. He followed it in the opposite direction, back toward the houses. It paralleled one of the footpaths for a few meters then seemed to disappear beneath the paved walkway. Adric listened carefully to try to hear any sounds of water running. A low murmur met his ears, and he realized after a moment that it came from a building to his left.

A glance told him immediately that this structure was not a home. It was a nearly-perfect square with only one small window on the two sides visible to him. He could not see a chimney, either. Curious about the noise and the use of this edifice, Adric moved closer. The window, like the others in the village, was made from pieces of glass held together by metal strips. He noted a larger shard in the bottom corner and rested his head against the window to peer through this small portal.

Inside the building he saw the villagers sitting on simple wooden benches. He realized immediately that this was their house of worship. He could see Cira standing before one of the benches, resting her hand on an older man's head. Her eyes were closed, and she was smiling. After a few seconds she beckoned to her children, who came to her side. She dropped her hand, and Morra's small hands replaced it on the man's forehead. The little girl closed her eyes, frowning at first, then her expression gradually softened. Adric saw that Cira now stood before another villager, touching her head in the same manner.

"Adric!" The Doctor's voice summoned the Alzarian back to the garden.

"Did you find the pipe?" asked the Time Lord when Adric came into view.

"No, there's just a channel that seems to lead out that way." He pointed. "But I did find out where they worship, and I watched a minute of their service."

"They invited you in?"

"No. I watched through a window."

The Doctor shook his head. "Adric, spying isn't polite—"

"But you do it all the time!"

Raising an eyebrow, the Doctor replied, "Well, yes, but only when it's necessary. Clandestinely observing a religious service borders on violating privacy."

"I just wanted to see what they were doing."

Unable to quash his own curiosity, the Doctor asked, "And what did you see?"

"Not much, really. Cira was touching people's heads—Morra was, too."

"Hmm, probably offering some sort of a blessing." He returned his attention to the garden. "I'm going to check over there."

Adric watched the Doctor lifting leaves and peering beneath plants for a few moments then bent down to examine the ripening pumpkins near his feet. A small trench irrigated this plant. He stood, intending to move on to the next bush, but an unexpected wave of dizziness assaulted him. He fought to keep his balance for several seconds before the vertigo left him. He blinked in the sunshine, his eyes stinging with tears.

"I've found it!" the Doctor announced happily. "Over here, Adric."

Adric took a few deep breaths and wiped a hand over his eyes before joining the Doctor near a bed of turnips. The Doctor glanced up at the young man briefly, attention clearly focused on the pipe he'd discovered. "Everything all right?" he asked, only half-noticing Adric squinting in the sunlight.

"Fine, Doctor," Adric replied. "What have you found?"

------

Tegan was just sitting down with some tea when the Doctor and Adric returned to the house.

"Are you feeling better?" the Doctor asked her.

She nodded. "Washing off that layer of dirt helped a lot."

"How are your hands?"

"They'll be all right."

Nyssa emerged from the kitchen. "Does everyone like sweet potatoes?" she asked.

Adric's expression changed to one of surprise. "Are you cooking?"

"Yes. I thought I'd begin getting lunch ready. As a matter of fact, you can help me."

Thus enlisted, Adric joined her in the kitchen. The Doctor sat across the table from Tegan, watching her for a moment.

"Where did you and Adric go?" she inquired as she sipped at the tea.

"To have a look at the irrigation system. Just as we thought, the pipe leads to the gardens, where the water is then directed into a series of small channels—a fairly traditional method of irrigation."

"Except for the pipe."

"Yes. I suppose the material is rather advanced compared with the rest of the technology we've seen here."

The Doctor's eyes had wandered to the papers that lay neatly stacked upon the table. He recalled that Nyssa had been studying them when they had returned after the rockslide. He gently thumbed through some of the yellowed sheets.

"What are those?" Tegan could not read them from across the table, but she saw some faded anatomical drawings.

"I believe Nyssa borrowed these from Vuir. This appears to be a copy of a textbook—more specifically a medical school text."

"Vuir's the healer. It makes sense that she'd have it."

"It seems a fortunate coincidence that these people's ancestors had this on their ship when they crashed here."

"Maybe one of them was a doctor."

The Time Lord considered this. "You're probably right. I'll have to ask Gerran for some more information about the first residents here."

"No time like the present." Tegan tilted her head toward the door, which opened to admit Gerran and Ellea.

"Good afternoon," their host greeted them. "Did you have a pleasant walk?"

The Doctor stood. "Initially, yes. I've found a good source of sand that you should be able to use for glass-making. It will need to be sifted and purified, but I think it will work well."

"I'm glad," Gerran responded. "We're eager to begin as soon as possible."

"Excellent. I'll need a heat source—preferably something large that can produce a high-temperature flame."

"I'll take you to the workshop."

Ellea passed Tegan on her way to the kitchen but paused when she noticed the cuts on her hands. 

"What happened?" Ellea asked. "Did you fall on the hill?"

"Actually, the hill fell on me."

"Yes," the Doctor said. "You should avoid the area just to the south of here. The rock on the hill appears unstable. Tegan was caught in a rockslide."

"To the south?" Ellea repeated. She paled noticeably.

Gerran took put his arm around her. "Doctor, that is precisely the area we told you to avoid."

"The wild boars—yes," the Time Lord replied. "But surely they wouldn't be out during the day."

Gerran shook his head. "If they feel at all threatened they may be."

"Did you," began Ellea, "did you hear anything?"

Tegan said, "Yes, I did. I thought it was a child crying—"

Gerran nodded. "The boars have an odd cry. It sounds almost like a wail."

"The boars?" Tegan scowled. "I've never heard of boars sounding like that."

"They do here." Gerran released Ellea, and she went into the kitchen. "And they can climb the rock fairly easily. It was probably them that caused the rockslide. You really mustn't go near that area again. It's fortunate that you weren't hurt badly."

"Is the rock unstable?" asked the Doctor.

"Only when it's disturbed. Please, Doctor," he looked pointedly at the Time Lord, "promise me that you won't return to that area."

"We won't," replied Tegan.

------

The Doctor had been in the small foundry for several hours, losing track of the time as he inspected the equipment and made adjustments to it. The villagers had developed some skill with metal working, and he was pleased to find that, with some minor modifications, he would be able to use their facilities to produce glass.

He did not even realize that the daylight was fading until Gerran stepped through the doorway carrying a lantern. "Doctor, Ellea has supper prepared."

The Doctor looked up from his work. "Oh, thank you, but I'm not hungry. I'm going to keep working on this. I should be able to finish it in a few hours, then tomorrow we can begin preparing the sand—"

"No, you can't stay out here after dark."

"Oh, I don't mind. If you leave the lantern I'll have plenty of light in which to work."

"No, Doctor, it's not safe. The boars often enter the village during the night."

"It's only a short walk back to your house. I'll be fine."

Gerran frowned deeply. "I really don't think it's a good idea."

The Doctor, however, was clearly resolute in his decision, and Gerran was unable to sway him. Finally, the villager left the lantern with strict instructions to keep it well-lit and carry it with him when he returned to the house. Gerran hurried away as the last of the gray twilight faded to darkness.

The Doctor did not know what time it was when he finished his task. He was pleased, however, with his success, and he swung the lantern high into the air as he walked back to Gerran's house. The village was quiet; it must be quite late, he thought. He noticed that each house had a lit lantern hung by its front door. He wondered for a moment if Gerran had arranged this for him.

When he reached Gerran's house he extinguished the flame in the lantern next to the door before stepping inside. He paused for a few seconds to set the lantern he carried on the floor. A low moan met his ears, and he straightened, listening. He thought at first that the sound had come from outside, but another moan and then a third were clearly coming from the hallway. He walked quickly toward the source of the sound, realizing after a moment that it came from the room he and Adric shared.

He opened the door to find Adric lying on his back, the quilt tangled around his legs. The boy's eyes were closed tightly but moved rapidly beneath his lids. His forehead was covered with perspiration, and his hands jerked at his sides. He groaned again, his words almost discernible. The Doctor stood listening as the utterances became clearer.

"No," he was murmuring, "you can't—I won't know—don't—" He seemed unable to finish the thought, most likely caught in some nightmarish loop.

The Doctor shut the door and walked to the bed. He bent over the young man, resting a hand upon his shoulder. "Adric," he said gently, "it's all right."

Adric pushed the hand away rather forcefully, moaning and murmuring his protestations again. The Doctor took both of his shoulders more firmly. "Adric, wake up!"

Adric's eyes shot open, wide with fear. "No!" he cried, "don't!"

"It's all right. You were having a dream." The Doctor moved his hand to brush the hair away from Adric's damp forehead, but the boy's eyes followed his hand, the pupils growing even larger. His breath came in gasps, and he knocked the Doctor's hand away.

The Alzarian was still half-asleep, the Doctor realized. He sat on the bed and lifted Adric by the shoulders. "Wake up now, Adric. Come on, you're all right. Wake up." He kept his voice reassuring yet firm.

Adric slumped downward, his eyes rolling back for an instant then moving to focus on the Doctor's face.

"Doctor?" he panted.

"Sshh. You've had a bad dream. It's over now." He settled Adric back against the pillow. He was still breathing harshly, his eyes darting back and forth in confusion. When the door opened half-way and the soft glow of candlelight illuminated the room, Adric gasped and wrenched an arm up over his eyes.

"Doctor?" Tegan's voice was low and frightened. "What's going on?"

The Doctor turned his head to see Tegan and Nyssa standing in the doorway. Tegan held a candle.

"Adric's just had a bad dream—nothing to worry about. Go back to bed."

The young women exchanged glances, then each murmured a few comforting words to Adric. When the door closed, Adric lowered his arm to peek out at the Doctor. He was still breathing rapidly and raggedly. The Doctor rested his hand on Adric's chest, feeling the racing heartbeat beneath the boy's damp nightshirt.

"Try to take deep breaths," the Time Lord advised, rubbing rather awkwardly at Adric's shoulder.

Adric complied, finally steadying his breathing somewhat. The Doctor felt his heart rate slow and the rhythm become more even.

"What was the dream about?" the Doctor asked, moving his hand away.

Adric swallowed. "I don't know."

"Can you remember any of it?"

The Alzarian shook his head. "No."

"Well, if any part of it does come back to you, let me know. It often helps to talk about a nightmare—"

Adric gave a small grunt of acknowledgement as he tried to disentangle his legs from the quilt. The Doctor pulled the offending cover back then lifted it to spread over Adric again.

"No, don't," Adric said, holding out a restraining hand. "I'm too warm already."

The Doctor stood. "I'll get you some water."

As he walked down the hall, he noticed that Tegan and Nyssa's room was dark; however, he heard low voices and realized that they were still awake and talking. He went into the kitchen and filled a small clay cup with water from a bucket on the counter. Passing through the sitting room once more, a noise made him pause.

He listened for a moment. He heard moaning. Surely Adric could not have fallen asleep again so quickly and been immersed in another nightmare? He began moving back toward the hallway, but his acute sense of hearing stopped him after a few steps. The cry was coming from outside, and it was growing louder. He hurried toward the door.

"No, Doctor! Don't!"

Gerran's command froze him momentarily. The Doctor spun around. Gerran and Ellea hastened across the room toward him. Their expressions showed alarm, and, he thought, fear.

"There's someone out there," the Time Lord began.

"It's the wild boars," Gerran quickly explained. "They've come into the village again. I have to chase them away." He swept up the lantern that the Doctor had left by the door earlier and lit it. Another moan, much closer now, seemed to waver in the crisp night air.

Gerran opened the door a few centimeters. "I'll be back soon," he said, slipping outside. "Stay in here."

Ellea cringed visibly when she heard Gerran shouting. "I have to go to him," she murmured, brushing past the Doctor on her way to the door.

"I'll come with you," he immediately offered, but she whipped her head around to stare at him.

"No!"

She left the house before he could say anything else. The Doctor opened the door to peer outside. He heard the moaning again—almost a whine—and Gerran's angry cries. Ellea's higher voice joined in, and the Doctor could just make out a few of her words: "Don't hurt him." She repeated the phrase several times.

"Doctor?"

He turned back to the room to find Tegan and Nyssa standing near the hallway. "What's going on?" asked Tegan.

"Apparently the wild boars have come into the village. Gerran is trying to chase them away."

"They're what's making that moaning noise?" Tegan frowned in confusion.

"Yes." The Doctor returned his attention to the partially open door. There was a clatter from some small distance away, and then the noises ceased. The night was still and dark save for the bobbing light of Gerran's lantern as he and Ellea returned to the house.

When they entered Ellea was pale, and Gerran's expression reflected ire. He had his arm around her waist; she seemed to sag against him, resting her head on his chest.

"Did you extinguish the lantern outside?" he asked the Doctor angrily.

"Oh—yes, when I returned."

"Why? Why did you do that?"

"I didn't need it any more to light the way—"

"That lantern was not there for you!" Gerran snapped. "The light keeps the boars away from the house. We're on the edge of the village. If they don't see the light here they enter—"

"He didn't know," interjected Ellea quietly but firmly, lifting her head and placing her hand on her husband's arm. Her face was still pasty, and a red welt was beginning to form on her cheek.

"Oh, you've been hurt!" Nyssa exclaimed.

Ellea touched the abrasion. "I—I fell."

"You were pushed!" Gerran spat. "I told you to remain here! You have to stay safe!" His tone softened with his final comment.

She nodded and rested her hand on his cheek for a moment. "I'm all right."

"Why don't you get some cool water and a cloth for her?" Nyssa suggested gently.

Gerran went to the kitchen. As soon as he left her side, Ellea reached for a chair for support. The Doctor quickly took her elbow and guided her to the seat. Nyssa and Tegan approached her with concern.

"Are you all right?" asked Nyssa, touching the woman's cheek lightly.

"Yes, just… just a little shaken."

Nyssa glanced up at the Doctor, who was watching Ellea's hand as she moved it over her belly. "Perhaps you should lie down," he suggested, already helping her to stand.

"No, I'm fine—"

"Come." He led her toward her room. "Some warm milk might be nice," he said over his shoulder.

She sat heavily upon the bed, clearly tired; her color had not returned entirely, either.

"You need your sleep," the Doctor said matter-of-factly. "Several extra hours per day, really, at least during your first trimester. You haven't passed that yet, have you?"

Ellea stared at him for an instant then regained some of her composure. "No, I still have almost seven months to go."

"Well, I think you might try to remain close to home for a while, particularly at night. Let Gerran deal with the wild boars." With a small smile he turned to leave.

"Doctor," she said softly, "how did you know? I'm not showing yet."

He turned back to her. "There are certain signs among human females—the nausea and dizziness, and the way you touch your stomach."

"You've known since yesterday, haven't you?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Have you told the others?"

"No."

"Please don't, at least not yet."

"But Gerran knows, doesn't he?"

She smiled wanly. "I can't keep secrets from my husband."

"I won't tell anyone. It's your news to share as you wish."

She lifted her hand to him. He stepped forward to take it.

"Thank you, Doctor." She grasped his hand in hers, holding it for several seconds as she looked into his eyes. Her other hand rose to touch his temple.

Nyssa stepped through the door, saying, "Gerran went outside to be sure the boars have gone." She stopped for an instant when she saw Ellea's fingers brush her friend's temple.

The Doctor straightened and withdrew his hand from hers. "Have a good rest," he said with a brief nod.

Nyssa held a small bowl of water and a cloth. "Tegan's just finishing warming the milk," she said as the Doctor passed her. She spared him a quick, curious glance then smiled at Ellea. "This should help your cheek to feel better."

The Doctor returned to the sitting room, noticing the cup of water he had left on the table. For a moment he wondered that Adric had not heard the commotion and gotten up to investigate as the young women did. He took the cup and walked down the hall. When he opened the bedroom door, he found Adric deeply asleep, one arm hanging limply off of the bed and the quilt still slightly bunched around his ankles.

The Doctor set the cup on the night table and pulled the quilt up over Adric, pausing for a moment to tuck the wayward arm back up against the boy's side. Recalling that Adric had complained of feeling warm earlier, he rested his palm against the youth's forehead; if anything, his skin felt cool. He watched his companion's face for a few seconds, glad to see a tranquil expression now. He padded back toward the door and whispered, "Sweet dreams, Adric," before he slipped back out into the hall.


	6. Chapter 6

The morning dawned gray and cold. Heavy clouds foretold a damp day. The Doctor's mood was unaffected by the weather, however. He was eager to shown Gerran the work he had done in the foundry. The two men departed shortly after breakfast. Nyssa wanted to return Vuir's book, which she carefully wrapped in oilskin to protect it from the drizzle. Tegan thought she might see if she could help Cira. Adric arose late, just as the Doctor was leaving. The boy appeared tired still, blinking at the firelight and rubbing at his eyes.

"Come on, sleepyhead," Tegan chided good-naturedly. "I'm just about to go to Cira's house. Your little playmate is probably waiting for you.

Adric frowned. "He's not my playmate!"

The Doctor said, "He does seem to have taken to you. I'm sure he misses having an older male in his life."

"What are you talking about?" asked Adric.

"Oh, yes, you'd already gone yesterday when Gerran told us that Rannal's father died last year," the Doctor explained briefly.

"I didn't know that." Adric's tone was noticeably subdued. "He didn't tell me."

"Well, whatever time you can spend with him will mean a great deal to him, I'm sure," the Doctor said.

Adric nodded. "All right. Maybe I can show him the Pythagorean theorem or something simple like that today—"

Tegan sighed. "You don't need to show him any more maths! Just have fun with him—play a game."

"Like what? Do you think he has a chess board?"

With a dramatic roll of her eyes, Tegan took Adric's arm and began leading him toward the door. "Haven't you ever heard of noughts and crosses or hang man?"

She explained the finer points of these simple games as they hurried through the mist toward Cira's house.

------

Vuir was not in her home when Nyssa arrived. The door was open, however, and the young Traken woman entered, intending to return the book and then leave. She set the book on the table, next to several sheets of blank paper. Thinking that she would leave a brief note of thanks, Nyssa sat for a moment to dip a quill pen into ink. She wrote a few words of gratitude before the ink began to seep through the paper. Hastily she lifted the sheet to prevent it from ruining the one beneath it, recalling that Vuir had explained that paper-making was a relatively time-consuming process.

Under the top sheet Nyssa found a page of hand-written notes. She did not intend to pry, but the name Lara, listed between several others, caught her eye. She had begun to skim the words when the door opened and Vuir stepped inside.

"What are you doing?" the healer asked sharply.

Nyssa looked up. "Oh, I'm sorry! I was leaving a note for you—"

Vuir quickly reached for the page before Nyssa and snatched it up. "This is private."

"Of course. I didn't mean anything—"

Vuir set the page on a high shelf then turned back to Nyssa, who had risen and begun moving toward the door. "I am sorry," she said sincerely.

The healer's expression softened. "As am I. You've been very helpful to me and have taught me a great deal. Please stay. I'll make some tea."

Nyssa nodded. "All right. Thank you."

As Vuir prepared the tea, Nyssa asked gently, "Lara was Ellea and Gerran's child, wasn't she?"

"Yes. They told you about her?" The woman's tone conveyed surprise.

"No. I'm afraid that I found her blanket by accident. Tegan hurt her hands, and I was looking for the antiseptic you told me about… "

"Lara was very weak," Vuir responded softly, "ever since her birth. I prepared tonics for her and prescribed a diet rich in vitamins and minerals for Ellea, but it did no good. The child lasted less than three months."

"I'm so sorry. It must have been terrible for them."

"It was terrible for all of us. And she was my great-niece. There should have been something more that I could have done for her. If only I had more knowledge—"

"I'm sure you did everything that you could," Nyssa assuaged her.

"It wasn't enough." Vuir set a mug before Nyssa. "Where you come from she could have been saved."

Nyssa touched Vuir's hand. "You don't know that."

"But the equipment and facilities available there—the medicines created by scientists who understand all of the chemistry that you've tried to explain to me—the machines that can keep people alive— In your world she wouldn't have died. None of them would have died." The older woman lowered her head.

There had been several names on the list with Lara's. Nyssa wondered whether these were individuals who Vuir felt she had not been capable of saving. "There are some injuries and illnesses that even the most advanced medicine can't overcome," she said.

"But if we were back in your world, a baby like Lara wouldn't have died, would she?"

Nyssa hesitated, reticent to lie but aware that the truth would be devastating. "I really don't know," she finally replied. "Without knowing precisely what caused her illness I can't tell you."

"I just wish I could know more." Vuir lifted the mug to her lips with a slightly trembling hand, her eyes focused intently upon Nyssa's earnest face.

------

Adric and Rannal were engaged in a heated noughts and crosses rematch. The little boy had shown a rapid grasp of basic strategy and, when permitted to take the first turn, was unbeatable. Adric was growing bored of the game, but the child's happy expression urged him to continue playing.

Tegan sat with Morra near the fireplace, helping the girl to weave a simple basket. Cira had shown their visitor what to do, and Tegan found the work relaxing. Morra asked her many questions, but, unlike the adults from the village, her queries concerned her new friend's family and various animals that Tegan had seen or knew about. Morra was particularly fascinated with kangaroos.

"I wish I could see one," the girl said wistfully.

"I can draw a picture for you," Tegan offered.

"But it won't be like seeing a real one!"

"No," Tegan conceded, "I suppose not, but it's better than nothing, don't you think?"

Rannal looked up from the game grid on his slate, catching his sister's eye. She shook her head and turned away.

"Tegan," said Cira, entering the room from the kitchen. "I need to get some milk. Do you mind staying here for a few minutes? I'm just going to walk over to the goat pens."

Pleased to have the woman's trust, Tegan answered, "Of course. I'd be glad to stay with the children."

Adric shot her a scowl, but she ignored him. Cira gathered up her bucket and left.

"How big are the kangaroo babies?" asked Morra, still interested in the topic.

"When they're born they're very, very tiny," Tegan began explaining. She lifted her hand and held her thumb and forefinger a few centimeters apart. "No bigger than this. That's why they have to stay in their mum's pouch for a long time."

"Do they look like their momma?"

"Not when they're first born—"

"I want to see a baby kangaroo!" the child announced, standing.

"I can draw one of them, too," Tegan began, but Rannal stood up, too, and addressed his sister.

"Look at one," he said, moving his eyes to Tegan then back to Morra.

The little girl's eyes widened. "No, Rannal! I'm not allowed!"

"No one will know. I won't tell," her brother assured her.

"But Momma says we mustn't—only at worship and to remember—"

An amused smile had formed on Tegan's face in response to this silly childish banter. She returned to her work on the basket. She did not see Rannal spear his sister with a challenging look.

"Go on," he urged.

Hesitantly Morra returned to Tegan's side. "What—what color are the baby kangaroos?" she asked.

Tegan began to reply, "Pink when they're first born," but when Morra placed her hands on the Australian's head she stopped speaking. Her eyelids lowered, and her mouth dropped open.

Rannal had positioned himself in front of Adric, who had ignored the children's conversation in favor of scratching out an equation on the slate. The little boy smiled gleefully and pressed his palms over Adric's temples. The chalky stone dropped abruptly from Adric's limp hand.

------

When Cira returned she found Tegan drawing as Morra watched her with a quiet smile. Adric and Rannal were just finishing another round of noughts and crosses, and Rannal was emerging yet again as the victor. Adric rubbed a hand over his forehead and eyes.

"You win," he said tiredly.

Noticing the expression on Adric's face, Cira said, "You've worn out our guests with your games and drawings. Adric and Tegan need to go now. Ellea will have lunch for them soon."

"But can't they stay, Momma?" asked Rannal. "They're showing us so many things! Tegan's making a kangaroo for Morra, and Adric showed me how to play this game."

"No, they've given you quite enough of their time."

With a grateful half-smile Adric stood. "Come on, Tegan," she said.

Tegan did not appear to hear him at first. He touched her shoulder, and she looked up. "What?"

"Let's get back to Ellea and Gerran's house. It's lunchtime."

Tegan nodded. "All right." She pushed the paper toward Morra. "Here you are. Now you can see what a kangaroo looks like."

Morra smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

Tegan and Adric hurried through the drizzle toward their hosts' home. However, the Doctor's voice stopped them as they passed the foundry. The Time Lord stood in the doorway grinning. He beckoned them toward him.

"You look pleased with yourself," Tegan said.

"Indeed," replied the Doctor. "As soon as the men can gather enough sand they'll be able to make glass."

Tegan was chilly and wet. "Good for you," she muttered. "But I'm more interested in getting inside where it's dry and warm. Excuse me." She hastened back along the path toward the edge of the village.

The Doctor took Adric's arm. "Come and see what we're going to do. I think you'll find it quite interesting."

Adric stepped inside. There was a large fire blazing in the center of the room. It seemed terribly bright to him. He squinted, his eyes watering immediately in the glare. He had to look away.

"—will easily reach a temperature of 1,200 degrees, which will be sufficient to fuse the ingredients into glass," the Doctor was explaining enthusiastically.

Adric rubbed at his watering eyes, murmuring something rather incoherent.

"Pardon me?" the Doctor asked, finally turning from the brazier to glance at Adric.

"It sounds fine," Adric said, still rubbing at his eyes. The light was so intense; he couldn't imagine why it wasn't bothering the Doctor.

"Have you got something in your eye?"

"I don't know—the light's so bright."

The Doctor gently lowered Adric's hands. "Let me see."

Adric had squeezed his eyes shut automatically, but he forced himself to open them. The Doctor tilted his head upward as Adric blinked uncontrollably.

"Turn away from the fire," said the Doctor, urging Adric to move with a hand at his shoulder. Adric complied, but the light still seemed unnaturally glaring to him.

"I don't see anything on the cornea or conjunctiva. Your pupils are dilated though," the Doctor commented, studying his companion's eyes, "more so than this light should warrant."

"Which means what?"

"I'm not sure. It could be—" The Doctor stopped speaking for a moment.

Adric saw that his friend's gaze had lowered slightly. He touched his lip; it was wet. When he saw the blood on his hand he was only mildly surprised. "Not again," he muttered.

The Doctor reached into his pocket for a handkerchief. Adric wondered for just a moment where the Time Lord kept his seemingly endless supply of hankies. As the Doctor folded the cloth and brought it toward Adric's nose, the Alzarian huffed, "I know—head back."

"Yes." The Doctor's tone was neutral, but even through his watery gaze Adric saw the concern in his face.

------

Tegan was thoroughly chilled by the time she returned to the house. Her clothes and hair were wet, and Ellea immediately offered her a cozy dressing gown. Tegan went into her room to change, though she thought that she might have preferred to remain by the warm fire rather than hurriedly disrobe in the unheated chamber. She slipped off her blouse; the synthetic fabric felt like ice water against her skin.

There was a light tapping at the door, and Ellea entered with a pitcher of steaming water and a towel. She poured it into a bowl on the dresser, saying, "Bathing your hands and face in warm water will help you to warm up. I'm making some tea for you as well."

Tegan thanked her kind hostess and dipped her hands into the basin and permitted them to soak for nearly a minute. She bent down to splash some water on her face, closing her eyes tightly as she did so. She did not see the small trickle of blood that flowed from her nose toward her upper lip. Indeed, the water washed it away. The pink tinge was nearly invisible against the dark sienna-colored clay that had been used to make the basin. By the time Tegan had splashed her face again, the flow had ceased.

She straightened, drying her face as she did, then she donned the dressing gown and walked softly down the hall for her tea.

------

Tegan and Ellea had just sat down to tea when the Doctor escorted Adric through the front door with a hand on his arm. The boy was squinting and still rubbing at his eyes. His nose had stopped bleeding after a few minutes, but he was pale and appeared tired.

"You look terrible," Tegan commented.

"Thanks a lot," Adric replied tersely.

Watching the way the Doctor guided the young man through the room, Tegan asked, "What's the matter?"

"Something is irritating his eyes," the Doctor said. "Let's try flushing them with warm water."

Ellea had just taken a sip of tea. She coughed and set her cup on the table; her hand seemed unsteady, and some tea splashed out onto the polished wood. "I'll—I'll get it," she said.

The Doctor settled Adric in a chair near the fire, but the Alzarian turned his head away from the light. Tegan brought him a cloth napkin, which he accepted and used to wipe at his eyes.

"Gently," cautioned the Doctor. He took a small torch from his pocket and lifted Adric's chin to shine the beam of light into his left eye. Adric flinched and wrenched his head away.

"Do you mind?" he asked testily. "That's really bright!"

"That's the point, isn't it?" the Doctor responded perfunctorily. "If it weren't bright I wouldn't be able to see your eyes very well, would I? Hold still and this won't take long."

Adric acquiesced somewhat uncomfortably and attempted to remain still, but the light was excruciating, and he felt tears flowing uncontrollably from his eyes. After a few seconds he lifted his hand to push the Doctor's arm away. "Stop it—please," he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

The Doctor caught Tegan's worried look and shook his head subtly, lifting the napkin back to Adric's eyes. Ellea returned with a basin of water, which Adric used to splash his eyes lightly.

"Any better?" asked the Doctor, peering carefully at the subjects of his inquiry.

"I don't know—maybe." Adric brushed his hand over his wet cheek.

"Here, let me," Tegan offered, taking the napkin and beginning to wipe a dry corner over his face.

Adric frowned. "I can do that myself!" He plucked the cloth from her hand and began to stand. However, the floor seemed to sway beneath him, and he wondered for an instant if there were an earthquake. Hadn't the Doctor said something about a temblor causing the rockslide?

"Adric?" The Doctor's voice sounded rather fuzzy. It took Adric a moment to realize that he was sitting back in the chair. The room seemed very dim for a few seconds. Someone's hand was on his shoulder.

"What happened?" he asked. "Was it an earthquake?"

The slight pause before anyone responded told him that he had been mistaken. It was Tegan who finally answered him. "No, Adric. You began to fall."

The Doctor took his arm and urged him upward. "Come on. You're going to lie down for a bit."

"But I'm—" he began to protest automatically, always resistant to being treated like a child. And now the Doctor was sending him off for a nap… But he did feel tired. Perhaps a few minutes of sleep would help. He allowed his friend to lead him down the hallway and into the bedroom, sinking gratefully down onto the mattress with an involuntary sigh.

When the Doctor returned to the living room a few minutes later, Tegan immediately asked about Adric.

"He's sleeping," the Time Lord replied shortly.

"But what's the matter with him? Is he sick?"

"I don't know. Illness in an Alzarian is very unlikely; his immune response capabilities should prevent any diseases from developing."

"He was dizzy, right? Maybe he got hurt somehow when he was playing with Rannal, though they were just working on his slate today—"

The Doctor was pacing the room, hands clasped behind his back. "Yes, head injury was my initial thought—the pupillary response indicated concussion or other brain trauma at first—although his autogenous healing should quickly mend any damage. Anyway, I can't find any external evidence of head injury. And the nosebleeds—"

"Do you think it's related?"

"I'm not sure, but he's had three in the last three days."

The front door opened, and Gerran entered the house, shaking water from his hat. The rain was falling heavily now, darkening the village as thick, black clouds blanketed the sky.

"Ah, Doctor, Tegan," Gerran greeted his guests. "I'm glad that you're back inside. It's a bad afternoon to be out." He quickly lit a small stick from a basket near the fireplace and used this to light the lamp that hung outside the door. When he stepped back inside, he asked, "Where are the boy and Nyssa? They shouldn't be out in this dark weather."

Ellea came out of the kitchen when she heard her husband's voice. She watched the visitors silently from the doorway, eyes flitting to Gerran's face frequently.

"I think Nyssa's still with Vuir," Tegan replied, "and Adric's lying down. He's taken ill."

"Ill?" Gerran frowned deeply. "How so?"

"Dizziness, sensitivity to the light," began the Doctor. "I need to get him back to the TARDIS."

"That's your ship?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes."

"And you have medical equipment and supplies there? Like they have in the large cities on the populated planets?"

"Yes."

Gerran leaned against the door for a moment. "Is Adric also having nosebleeds?"

The Doctor looked up in surprise. "Yes. How did you know that?"

Gerran smiled, though to Tegan it appeared more like a grimace. "It's a common affliction among the young people here."

"You mean like some sort of childhood disease?" asked Tegan.

Gerran nodded in affirmation. "It's not serious."

"Is there a remedy?" asked the Doctor.

Gerran's smiled faded. "Yes—well, there's a tonic that helps. I'm afraid that the best thing for him is rest. He'll have to recover mostly on his own."

"Vuir is familiar with this malady?" the Time Lord inquired.

"Yes, of course. I can get her if you like."

"Yes, I'd like to speak with her so that I'll know what to look for when he's back in the TARDIS."

"Doctor, you really don't need to take him all the way back there, and certainly not in this weather," Gerran said.

"I can bring the TARDIS here," the Doctor replied.

"Just—just let me get Vuir before you do anything. All right?" Gerran's tone bordered on pleading.

The Doctor glanced at the ceiling. Rain drummed heavily on the roof. "All right."

Gerran lit a second lantern and turned toward the door, but Ellea's soft voice stopped him. "Be careful," she said.

"Of course. Vuir should be here in a few minutes."

Ellea hurried toward him. "Aren't you coming back with her?"

"I have to speak with Cira," he said in a low voice.

She leaned forward to kiss his cheek, whispering something in his ear.

He replied, "Don't worry, I won't do anything—I just need to let her know."

With a touch of his lips to her furrowed brow he stepped out into the dark, cold afternoon.

------

Nyssa was about fifty meters from the house when she saw Gerran hurrying along the pathway through the pouring rain. He carried a lantern beneath the oilskin cloak he wore. Vuir had given her a similar garment, but still Nyssa was damp and chilled.

"Nyssa!" Gerran called, recognizing her quickly.

She waved in acknowledgement as he neared her.

"Did you come from Vuir's house?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes. But she had to go visit an elderly woman—Perna, I think her name was."

"Yes, that's right. Thank you—I'll be able to find her quickly now."

"Is something the matter?"

Gerran glanced back in the direction of his house. "There's been an accident."

"Oh dear! What happened?"

He gestured out toward the batholith just to the south of the village. "Your friends—they went out to the hills again, and there was another rockslide."

Nyssa gasped and pressed her hand over her mouth. "All three of them?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Are they—do you know how badly they're hurt?"

"I'm not sure. There's a great deal of rock—I'm going to take some men with me to help—"

"I have to go out there," Nyssa said quickly. "Where are they exactly?"

"Just beyond my house—up by the first big hill. I know that at least Tegan is conscious. If you call her she can call back so you'll know precisely where they are. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Nyssa gave him a curt nod of acknowledgement then hastened off toward the dark hills.

------

"Tegan! Doctor! Adric! Where are you?"

Nyssa's voice seemed muffled by the rain pounding down to the ground all around her. She could barely see through the deluge, and the afternoon was nearly as dark as a moonless night. She stumbled along at the base of the batholith, listening for any response to her calls.

A thin, melancholy wail drifted through the rain. Nyssa stopped moving for a moment to listen. She heard it again, just ahead of her. She hurried forward, calling her friends' names again. Through the rain she saw a figure moving toward her with outstretched arms. She could not see clearly, but from the person's height she assumed it was the Doctor. He must have managed to dig himself out of the rockslide.

"Doctor!" she cried. "Are you all right?" She blinked at the water that washed over her eyes, reaching out for his hand.

When he was only a few meters away from her she realized that she had mistaken the person's identity. Like the Doctor, he had light hair, but it was plastered against his shoulders in long clumps. A thick beard covered the man's face. For an instant she recalled that the men she had seen in the village were clean-shaven.

The man lumbered toward her. Nyssa watched him in abject fascination. He was moving peculiarly in awkward, jerky steps. His arms remained extended before him, almost as though he needed them to maintain his balance. Perhaps he had been hurt in the rockslide, too.

"Are you all right?" she called.

He responded with a moan and continued trudging toward her.

"What's the matter?" she shouted over the din of the rain. "Were you caught in the rocks? Are you injured?"

He did not reply but continued shambling forward. It was not until he stood less than a meter away from her that Nyssa's heart began to pound in alarm. This man was completely unkempt with long, ragged fingernails and squalid clothing. He squinted at her, his mouth moving but producing only incoherent groans.

Nyssa turned to flee, instinctively knowing that she must get away. She ran a few steps before her feet slipped in the mud and she stumbled forward, falling to her hands and knees. She scrabbled to right herself, her palms sliding over the slick rock and mire. Something caught at her shoulder, hold her firmly. With a gasp she turned her head. The man had gripped her tightly and was now tugging her upward. He was much larger than she was, sturdier than the Doctor, and he pulled her to her feet with seemingly little effort.

"Please," she beseeched, "I have to get to my friends. They've been hurt—there was a rockslide. Can you help me to find them?"

He seemed to peer at her for a long time before he uttered several low cries. His hand remained wrapped around her shoulder, the nails pressing painfully into her skin. She clasped his wrist and tried to push his hand away.

"Please let me go!"

He grunted and dropped his hand for an instant. Nyssa took a step back, but his hand closed around her arm firmly. He turned, dragging her with him as he plodded back toward the edge of the batholith.

Nyssa's screams were drowned out completely by the drenching rain.


	7. Chapter 7

Vuir was greeted succinctly by the Doctor when she arrived at the house. He reiterated Adric's symptoms to her, and when he had finished, Tegan added, "Gerran says it's a common illness."

Vuir nodded slowly. "Yes, it is. It happens to some of the children and young people from time to time."

"Do you know what causes it?" asked the Doctor. "Is it viral?"

"Viral? I'm not really sure," she replied.

"Well, I'll run a full blood panel in the TARDIS."

"That's a series of tests—analyses—that find anything unusual in the blood, isn't it?"

The Doctor said, "Yes. I'll share the results with you if you like. It should help you to understand this illness better."

"And if it is viral," Vuir inquired, "there's a cure for it?"

"Of course—various antibiotics are quite effective against a wide range of viruses."

"And could you give me some?"

The Time Lord considered this for a few moments. "I suppose so."

"But if it's not viral—if your tests don't show anything in his blood—then what will you do?"

"Once I understand what's causing his symptoms, I'll be able to treat them."

"So no matter what it is, you can fix it?"

"Yes, I believe so. If I cannot, I'll take him to someone who can."

"I should have a look at him," Vuir said after a moment, already walking toward the hallway. The Doctor began to follow her, but she paused. "You don't need to come with me. I'll only be a minute."

With a small shrug, the Doctor turned back to Tegan, who said, "It sounds like it's not terribly serious. She doesn't seem all that concerned."

"No, she doesn't."

"But you still are?"

The Doctor sighed. "Yes, Tegan, I still am."

Vuir returned soon. Her expression was somber but when she addressed the Doctor her affect seemed to lighten somewhat. "He's not seriously ill," she said. "With rest he should recover in a few days. I don't think there's any permanent damage—"

"Permanent damage? From an illness?" Tegan asked. "What kind of permanent damage could there be?"

"Some diseases can damage the brain—and without specialized equipment and drugs the effects may become irreversible," the Doctor explained briefly.

"So you think it's something in his brain?" Tegan's tone had risen in alarm.

"It does seem neurological," the Doctor replied.

"It won't cause him any long-term harm," Vuir reiterated.

"Are you certain of this?" asked the Doctor.

"Yes. I've seen this before—many times. He just needs rest and quiet." She watched the visitors for a moment then added, "And travel would be ill-advised right now."

"You think he should remain here?" the Doctor questioned.

"Oh, yes, absolutely. He needs to stay still for at least a day or two. Please give me your word that you won't try to move him. I wouldn't want him to grow any worse."

"Doctor?" Tegan asked, looking at her friend.

He replied, "I'll see how he's doing in a few hours."

"I should go," Vuir said. "I need to prepare some tinctures."

"Then you'll bring one for Adric?" Tegan asked.

"For Adric?" the healer repeated.

"Yes," Tegan said, "Gerran told us that there's a tonic that helps with this disease."

"Oh, yes, of course. I'll bring it in an hour or so."

"Would you ask Nyssa to return?" the Doctor requested. "I'd like to discuss Adric's condition with her."

"She's not—" Vuir began, glancing at the door. "She was helping me with some herbs. She's not quite finished yet."

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you'd send her anyway," the Doctor said.

With a nod Vuir left.

"I think you might have hurt her feelings," Tegan said.

"What?"

"You were a little short with her, and the way you said you wanted to discuss Adric with Nyssa made it seem like you didn't value her opinion at all—"

"That wasn't my intent. However, it can't be helped now."

"You could apologize to her the next time you see her," Tegan suggested.

The Doctor lifted an eyebrow. "Yes, I suppose I could." He turned to stare through the beveled glass at the haze of rain that continued to fall outside.

-----

Nyssa had huddled at the back of the narrow cave into which the man had dragged her. She was shivering with both cold and fright. The interior of the cave was very dark, and she had needed to feel her way along the rough wall until she could move no further. The man stood near the entrance; he was quiet now, but she felt that he was watching her. At the very least, he was guarding her, preventing her from leaving. He had not released her arm until they entered the cave, and he had positioned himself so that his body blocked the entry. It was clear to Nyssa that she was expected to remain.

As her eyes adjusted to the dimness, she could discern a few items strewn along the floor. There were several pots and baskets, and near her she thought she saw a blanket. Tentatively she reached out for it, drawing it toward herself slowly. A basket sat upon the edge of it, and the movement caused the container to shift and tip, spilling its contents over the floor with a rustle.

The man made a growling noise and took several steps toward Nyssa. She froze, releasing the corner of the blanket and pressing her body against the rough wall.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, voice quavering. "I'm cold. I just wanted the blanket… I didn't mean to disturb your things."

The man lumbered forward then dropped to his knees to grope about for the spilled objects. His hands moved over the floor; he seemed to have trouble finding the items, even though they lay just a few inches from his fingers. He moaned softly.

"Here, let me help you." Nyssa kept her voice low and steady, as though she were talking to a small child or an agitated animal. She leaned forward, not sure whether he had heard or understood her. "I can help," she said again, touching his head.

He cried out, jerking his head up and lifting his hands to push her forcefully away. She slammed back against the wall, her head striking the stone. She gasped in pain and surprise then sank to the ground limply.

-----

Ellea had served tea and was busy washing the dishes in the kitchen. The Doctor and Tegan sat at the table, finishing the contents of their mugs.

"It's been nearly an hour," the Doctor commented. "Vuir should have sent Nyssa back by now."

"It's raining really hard," Tegan replied. "Perhaps she decided to wait until the weather improves."

The Doctor stood. "I'm going to check on Adric."

He walked quickly down the hallway and opened the door. The room was nearly dark, but his acute eyes easily perceived Adric lying upon his back. The quilt had slipped, or perhaps he had moved; his arms were exposed to the chilly air.

The Doctor watched the boy for several seconds before bending to readjust the quilt around his shoulders. He rested the back of his hand against Adric's forehead, noting that his skin was cool. He turned to leave, but Adric mumbled something.

"Adric?" he asked softly.

The Alzarian's hands moved beneath the quilt, pushing it away again as they lifted to his head. He continued muttering, his hands now clenched into fists. The Doctor could see his eyes moving rapidly beneath his lids. Adric seemed to choke back a dry sob, then he whimpered.

"Adric!" The Doctor shook his shoulder lightly, concerned that he was experiencing pain. "Come on, Adric, wake up."

The young man's eyes shot open. "What?" he asked in confusion.

"Are you all right?"

Adric frowned and rubbed at his eyes. "I was sleeping."

"Yes, but you sounded as though you were in pain."

"No—I was dreaming, I think."

"How do you feel?"

"All right, I suppose." He sat up.

"How are your eyes?"

"Fine."

The Doctor removed the small torch from his pocket and switched it on, directing the beam onto the ceiling to illuminate the room softly. He watched his companion's eyes. Adric blinked but did not squint, so he moved the light closer. It was not until he shifted the beam to the boy's left eye that Adric turned his head away.

"Too bright?" asked the Doctor.

Adric nodded.

The Doctor patted his shoulder. "All right. Try to go back to sleep. Vuir says that rest is the best thing for you."

"Vuir? The healer?"

"Yes, she was here a little while ago. She didn't wake you?"

"No."

"You must have slept right through." He turned again to leave.

"Doctor—" Adric's voice was hesitant.

"Hmm?"

"What—what did she say? Does she know—or do you know—what's wrong with my eyes?"

He turned back to Adric, trying to muster a reassuring smile. "She believes it's a common pediatric illness that affects many of the children here."

Adric frowned. "But I'm not a child, and Alzarians don't get sick!"

"Yes, I'm well aware of both facts, though the first, at least chronologically and physically, is debatable—"

Adric opened his mouth to protest, but the Doctor continued. "It is possible that being exposed to a different environment has affected your immune responses. There may be a virus here that doesn't exist on Alzarius or the other planets you've visited. It is not uncommon for people to become ill from diseases previously unknown to their population. This happened on Earth when European explorers came to the New World, bringing small pox and—"

"Doctor," Adric interrupted in some frustration, "I'm not interested in an Earth history lesson!"

"No, I suppose you aren't."

"So? You think I'm sick?"

"That seems the most plausible explanation at present. As soon as the rain lets up, I'll get the TARDIS and we'll find out for certain what's going on. In the meantime, try to rest." He slipped out the door without further discussion.

------

Another hour passed, and darkness fell in earnest, cloaking the village in blackness. The rain continued to fall heavily, sending icy air beneath the door. The Doctor stoked the fire as Ellea prepared supper with Tegan's assistance.

When Gerran returned, the Doctor asked him where Nyssa was.

"Isn't she here?" their host asked, wrinkling his forehead in confusion.

"No. She hasn't come back yet."

"I asked her to when I got the tonic from Vuir." Gerran pulled a small bottle from his pocket. "She said to give him a spoonful tonight then another in the morning."

"When did you last speak with Nyssa?"

"I picked this up about half an hour ago. She said she'd be along soon."

The Doctor shook his head. "It's not like her to delay when she knows she's needed. I'm going to get her." He reached for an oilskin cloak hanging near the door.

"Doctor, wait—"

"What is it?"

"Shouldn't you give this to Adric?" He held out the bottle.

"Tegan can do it. Just tell her how much."

Stepping into the room, Tegan asked, "How much of what?"

The Time Lord gestured toward the vial. "Adric needs a spoonful of that— Wait, let me see it." He held out his hand expectantly.

Gerran passed the bottle to him. The Doctor removed the stopper and sniffed the contents. "Hmm. I can't identify all of the components. Don't give him any until I return."

"Where are you going?" asked Tegan.

"To get Nyssa. She must still be at Vuir's house. I want to find out what's in this tincture, too, before I give it to Adric."

"Doctor," Tegan protested mildly, "I'm sure it's perfectly safe—"

"I don't doubt that. But I'd like to know what he's taking. He's sleeping now, anyway. I'll be back soon." He fastened the cloak and took the lantern that Gerran had left by the door. He stepped out into the rain and hurried along the path toward Vuir's house.

Tegan had been assured by Ellea that her help was appreciated but not necessary, so the Australian sat near the fire while her hostess finished preparing supper. Gerran joined his wife in the kitchen, and they talked in hushed tones for some time. Tegan wondered vaguely why they felt the need to whisper. After a few minutes she stood and began walking toward the hallway, intending to check on Adric. However, her feet seemed to steer her automatically yet nearly silently to the kitchen. She paused just outside the doorway to listen.

"… wasn't aware that he'd done it," Gerran was saying.

"He didn't mean anything, I'm sure. He's just curious."

"He's old enough to know the rules. There's no excuse for his behavior."

"What's she going to do?"

"I don't know. He has to be punished; he can't think that this is acceptable, especially now."

Tegan heard the clink of plates and silverware and quickly moved back toward the hallway. By the time Gerran entered the dining area she was half-way to Adric's room.

The Doctor returned just as Ellea was setting out supper. He looked perturbed and slightly worried.

"Where's Nyssa?" Tegan asked him as she shook water from the cloak.

"She's not at Vuir's house, and neither is Vuir."

"Maybe they went somewhere together."

"Yes," the Doctor said rather shortly, "they must have, obviously. But I don't know where. Short of checking every house in the village, I'm not sure how to find her."

"I'm sure she'll come back soon. She wouldn't stay out late without letting us know."

Gerran cleared his throat lightly from the kitchen doorway. "Pardon me, but I know Nyssa has been helping Vuir with some of the tonics and tinctures. She must have gone with her to deliver them to someone."

"Do you have any idea who?" asked the Doctor.

"No, I really don't. But you shouldn't worry about her. Whoever she's with will discourage her from walking through the village at night, since the wild boars have been very active lately. She'll probably stay wherever she is until morning."

"I'd prefer that she return here—" the Doctor began.

"I can certainly understand that," Gerran said placatingly, "but you must understand, too, that everyone here wants to ensure your safety and hers. It's very unwise to be out after dark."

"Yes, you've told us that several times," the Doctor replied brusquely.

"We just don't want anything to happen to you."

Suddenly struck by an idea, the Doctor fixed his gaze on Gerran and asked, "Has someone been hurt by the boars?"

Gerran's eyes wandered to the floor. "Yes."

"When? Recently?"

"No, it's been some time, but they were active then, just as they are now."

"Was it Cira's husband?"

Gerran blinked in surprise at the Doctor's words. "Yes—it—it was. How did you know?"

"You said he'd been killed in an accident, and the entire village's concern about the boars seemed rather excessive to me—unless they had proven truly dangerous." His tone had softened considerably.

"No one would risk Nyssa's safety. They'll insist that she remain inside, as we all must."

"But you went out before dawn—" began Tegan.

"I had to chase them away," Gerran replied. "There were only a few. I wouldn't go out if there were an entire herd."

"There must be some sort of deterrent you can use," the Doctor said. "Or perhaps traps—"

"We would welcome any ideas," Gerran responded.

This new issue on his mind, the Doctor's thoughts quickly left Nyssa and focused on the problem at hand.

------

Nyssa was swallowed in darkness. At first she could not distinguish between stupor and wakefulness; she simply felt enveloped. However, as consciousness gradually returned to her, the ache at the back of her head tugged her toward alertness. She opened her eyes to find that she could distinguish little in the nearly complete absence of light

The rain still fell outside, but she thought that it had slackened somewhat. She remembered that she had felt terribly cold before, but now she was comfortable. Shifting her body slightly, she discovered that she was wrapped in a thick, soft cover . She held an edge in her hand and moved her fingers over the material. She could feel fine stitching at regular intervals, but the fabric seemed to vary slightly in thickness and texture. She must be covered in a patchwork quilt. Had she been rescued?

She moved her hands down to feel the solid ground beneath her legs. Her palm scraped against the roughness of the rock. She was still in the cave. She listened carefully now. If her captor had departed, she could escape. At first all she could hear was the steady drumming of the rain, but eventually she was able to distinguish breathing. It was deep and regular. Perhaps he was sleeping…

Nyssa slowly lowered the quilt and got to her knees. She ran her hands over the walls behind her and to her side, realizing that she was in nearly the same position she had been in when she had hit her head and fallen. She knew that the cave was narrow, barely a meter wide, which meant that in all likelihood she would have to step over him. She would need to move with care so that she did not wake him.

She stood and took a tentative step forward. The man's breathing did not change. She took another step.

He grunted, and she could tell that he had moved. His breathing became sharper, more rapid. Something touched her leg, and she backed up, retreating to the rear of the cave and pulling the quilt back over herself. She remained very quiet, but he continued to stir, moaning and grunting softly for some time. She hoped fervently that he would not move any closer to her.

------

Tegan slept fitfully. Steady rain tapping at a rooftop usually lulled her into a pleasant slumber, but the effect of the current storm was just the opposite. She found the incessant noise irritating. She arose at dawn and shuffled blearily down the hallway. She was not particularly surprised to find the Doctor sitting before the fireplace. The flames had long since died out, and only a few glowing embers remained. He did not appear cold, however.

"Have you been up all night?" she asked, moving toward the hearth the try to absorb what little heat lingered.

"Yes," he replied simply.

"Are you worried about Adric?"

He gave her a brief nod. "And I've been trying to come up with an uncomplicated solution to the wild boar problem."

Tegan bent to push another log into the fireplace. "Do you have any ideas?"

"A few."

"What would make them more active at certain times?"

"Seasonal changes could affect their behavior, or shortages of food could drive them from their usual habitats—"

Tegan looked at the window; gray light was filtering through the glass. "It's weird that they'd build their village here with the threat of the boars so close by. They live near that hill where I got caught in the landslide, right? That's less than a kilometer from here."

"That may be the outer edge of their territory, and it's possible that their territory has changed or expanded in the years since the first humans arrived here."

Tegan shrugged. "I suppose. At least they're quiet now."

"Yes, they are. As a matter of fact, I didn't hear them at all during the night."

The fire began to crackle and warmth filled the room. Tegan sat on the small sofa, watching the flames. Her eyelids began to feel heavy, and she sank back against the cushions.

She hadn't realized that she'd slept until voices woke her. She sat up, blinking. The light inside the house was still dim, and she surmised that only a few minutes had passed since she dozed off. The Doctor was still sitting before the hearth, but he was looking at the hallway.

"You don't need to go." Gerran's voice was an emphatic whisper.

"Why not? He needs food—"

"No, Ellea, not this morning. I'll take something later."

"But the rain has probably gotten everything damp and soggy—"

The couple stepped into the room. Ellea gasped involuntarily when she saw her guests lounging near the fire. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were up."

"We didn't mean to startle you," Tegan said apologetically.

Gerran placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "I was hoping she'd try to sleep for another hour, but she insists on going out to feed the goats." He turned to face her. "I'll take care of it. You just stay in here where it's warm and dry."

"You'll go now?"

"Yes, all right."

Tegan thought his tone bordered on resentment. "We can help out if you like," she began.

"No," Gerran said quickly. "That's kind of you, but I'll do it. It won't take long."

Ellea turned toward the kitchen. "I'll prepare a basket."

After she had disappeared, Gerran said, "Sometimes I think she feeds those goats better than she feeds me."

"Well, they are rather important for your diet and textiles," the Doctor commented. He ran his hand over the single pillow that adorned the sofa. It was covered in a soft, wooly fabric.

Gerran walked toward the window, resting his palm against the glass. "The rain hasn't let up much."

"Really? It seems much lighter to me," the Doctor said.

"Perhaps for the moment, but I think it will start up again soon. It could be worse than yesterday. You may not be able to travel today."

"Speaking of which," said the Doctor, standing, "I should check on Adric."

The Alzarian youth was still asleep, but his features were relaxed. He had thrashed about several times during the night with unpleasant dreams, awakened each time by the Doctor. Adric had been disoriented and groggy, which concerned the Time Lord. After the third incident, he had considered making the trip back to the TARDIS in the darkness but had relented when Adric slipped back into calm sleep.

The Doctor watched his companion for perhaps half a minute then slipped out of the door quietly to return to the sitting room.

"How is he?" Tegan asked.

"He's sleeping comfortably now."

"That means he's better?"

The Doctor gave a half-shrug. "I don't know. He had a difficult night."

"So you're going to get the TARDIS?"

At his nod, she added, "I can come with you if you like—"

Gerran walked out of the kitchen with a large basket over his arm. Overhearing their conversation, he said, "Doctor, I really don't think the weather is fit for traveling today."

"It can't be helped. Anyway, it won't bother me."

"But the rocks and hills are dangerous in the rain, and you said you'd help us with the glass making today—"

"That will have to wait until you can gather a sufficient quality of dry sand."

"The boars, then. You must help us to find a way to stop them. Perhaps Tegan can bring your ship here. I could go with her or send someone else who's familiar with the terrain—"

Tegan sighed. "The Doctor is the only one who can fly it."

Gerran looked from Tegan to the Doctor. "Really? But you all travel in it. Surely you're all able to pilot it?"

She shook her head. "It's a very complicated machine. The Doctor's been flying it for ages, though."

With a curious glance at the Time Lord, Gerran said, "If you must go, at least wait until it's light out. It will only be another half hour or so until the sun is completely up."

The Doctor nodded. "All right. I would like to speak with Nyssa before I go—"

"I'll find her and send her back here as soon as I've dropped this off." He lifted the basket then hastened out the door.

------

Ellea began setting out breakfast before Gerran returned. Tegan prepared a plate with several slices of bread, jam, and cheese and took it to Adric's room. He was still sleeping, so she set the food on the small night table. The plate touched the candleholder with a small clink.

Adric's eyes fluttered open. "Tegan?" he asked hoarsely.

"I've just brought you some breakfast," she said.

He sat up, wiping a hand across his eyes then turning his head to look at the food. "Thanks."

"Are you feeling better?"

He nodded and reached for a piece of bread.

Tegan told the Doctor that Adric had awakened as soon as she joined him at the table. "And he's hungry, too," she added happily.

"Did he seem coherent?"

"I think so. That must mean he's better, right?"

"Possibly."

Ellea had been quiet as she brought the food to the table. Tegan thought she seemed preoccupied, and her wan complexion indicated a poor night's sleep. Now she sank into a chair, eyes moving frequently to the door. Her vigilance was rewarded shortly when Gerran returned. He was frowning deeply.

"What's the matter?" Ellea asked, standing quickly. However, she took a sharp breath and pressed her hands against the table top, her skin growing even paler.

"Ellea?" Tegan questioned, reaching for the other woman's clammy hand.

"I'm all right," Ellea breathed, lowering herself back into the chair.

Gerran was by her side in a few moments. "I told you that you should get more sleep," he admonished gently, stroking her hair.

She looked up at him. "What's happened?" she asked again. "Something's wrong."

He nodded gravely then fixed his gaze on the Doctor. "Nyssa seems to be missing."

"Missing?" Tegan repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I went to Vuir's house first," he replied, "but she said Nyssa was gone when she woke up this morning. I've asked around the village, but no one's seen her."

"Where could she have gone?" Tegan asked.

"Vuir said that she was very interested in some of the herbs she uses. She may have gone out to look for some—"

"In the rain?" The Doctor's voice was flinty.

"I don't know," Gerran said slowly. "But she's not in the village."

Ellea, Tegan noticed, was gripping Gerran's hand tightly. "You have to look for her," she told her husband.

"Of course," Gerran replied. "We'll begin searching right away. Doctor," his eyes moved back to the Time Lord, "are you coming?"

The Doctor stood and addressed Ellea. "What are you worried about?"

Her eyes flicked to Gerran. "I—with the dark weather it could be dangerous—the boars may be out."

The Doctor reached into his pocket and removed his hat, unrolling it quickly and placing it on his head. "How many areas does Vuir search for her herbs?"

"Four or five," Gerran said. "I can take you to them—"

"No," the Doctor said sharply, "that will take too long. We should split up."

Tegan had stood, too. "Just tell me where to go."

Gerran hesitated for just a moment. "I don't think anyone should be out alone. If you do encounter the boars it's better to have at least two people."

"I can go with Tegan," Ellea offered.

The Doctor's response surprised Tegan. "No, you should stay here," he said in a gentle tone. "You can rest and keep an eye on Adric, and if Nyssa should return you can send someone to tell us. Gerran, you go with Tegan. I'll go alone."

"I'll go with you." Adric's voice was unexpected. Four heads turned to stare at the boy who stood in the hallway.

"Adric," the Doctor said firmly, "you need to rest."

"I've rested for over twelve hours. I'm fine now." He walked forward. Tegan noticed that his eyes were focused on the Doctor with unwavering determination.

The Doctor watched his movements, seeming to judge his soundness by his gait. When Adric neared him, he lifted the young man's chin to look at his eyes. "Are they still sensitive?"

Adric shook his head. "No, they feel fine."

"I still think it's best if you remain here and rest—"

"Doctor," Adric said resolutely, "I'm going to come with you. If you go without me I'll simply follow behind."

"You know he will," Tegan said.

"Yes." The Doctor bent forward slightly to look Adric directly in the eye. "At the first sign of fatigue, light sensitivity, or any other symptom that I find worrisome you will return here immediately. Understood?"

Adric nodded begrudgingly.

A few minutes later Adric was clothed in a warm wool coat borrowed from Gerran, and Tegan was similarly clad in one of Ellea's wraps. The Doctor and Gerran carried lanterns. When they stepped outside, however, they saw that the sky was clearing.

Adric blinked at the filtered sunshine, but when the Doctor gave him a questioning glance, he quickly said, "I'm all right. The light's not bothering me."

Gerran pointed toward the river and explained that one of Vuir's favorite places to gather herbs lay about a kilometer beyond the riverbed. The Doctor and Adric headed off in the indicated direction. Gerran led Tegan through the village, telling her that another area Vuir liked was not far from the edge of the settlement. As they walked along, a high voice called Tegan's name.

The Australian paused, realizing that she was close to Cira's house. Morra stood in the doorway, waving at her. "Where are you going?" the child asked.

"Gerran's taking me to the place where Vuir finds herbs," Tegan replied.

"Oh, is it the place with the big, pink flowers?"

Gerran nodded. "Yes, Morra."

"Oh, Uncle, can I come? Please? Please?"

Gerran looked up at the sky. The clouds were definitely dissipating, and the day promised to be clear and sunny. "Is your mother home?" he asked her in reply.

"She went to get some sweet potatoes."

"Where's Rannal?"

"He's in his room. Momma says he has to stay in there all day because he was naughty."

"Naughty?" Tegan inquired with a small smile. "What did he do?"

"I dunno. Momma wouldn't tell me."

"Morra," Gerran said, "how would you like to show Tegan where the pink flowers are? I want to speak with your mother for a few minutes." He looked at Tegan. "Do you mind? With the sun coming out, it should be quite safe."

"It's fine, as long as she knows where to go."

"I do! I do!" Morra replied enthusiastically. She skipped out the door, but turned abruptly back with a frown. "I better tell Rannal where I'm going." She disappeared back inside the house. Tegan could hear the children's voices from inside, though their words were indistinct to her. After a minute Morra returned and took Tegan's hand.

"Morra," Gerran said rather sternly, "take her to the flowers then come straight back here. Do you understand?"

The little girl nodded. "Come on!" she urged. "I'm going to show you the prettiest flowers!"

She led Tegan away down the smooth stone path.

------

Nyssa had finally dozed off just before sunrise. Her captor had quieted as the night wore on; she thought he had fallen asleep, but she did not want to risk moving past him again. As the rain slackened, she could hear him breathing deeply. Occasionally the steady rhythm was interrupted by a heavy sigh or a whimper. She began to wonder if he were in pain.

When she awoke she saw that dim light seeped into the cave. Still, it was difficult to see clearly. As she waited for her eyes to adjust, she listened carefully. The rain had stopped, and the interior of the cave was quiet. Perhaps the man had gone. She stood quickly, pushing the quilt to her feet. In the haze she could just make out a pattern of oblong petals scattered along the surface of the cover. The design seemed familiar to her, but her thoughts were disrupted by a movement just ahead.

With a groan, the man lumbered upward. She saw now that he had been hunched near the wall, but he must have heard her rise. He grunted at her and took a step forward.

"Please," she said gently, "let me go."

She could see that he was facing her now, and his expression did not seem threatening. If anything she thought it was pained. His eyes were nearly shut, and his mouth hung open half-way.

"Are you…" she began, "are you hurt?" Slowly she took a step forward.

He lifted his hands and grunted sharply.

"I can help you," she said softly. "If you're injured—"

He seemed to watch her warily. She took another step forward. "It's all right," she crooned, feeling that her tone was calming to him. She stood close enough to touch him. "Have you hurt your head?"

Tentatively she lifted her hand to rest it on his shoulder. He squinted at her, seeming to watch her movements through half-closed eyes. She permitted her hand to remain on his shoulder for nearly a minute then moved it to his cheek. Very softly she brushed her fingers over his skin, nearly recoiling at the coarse, grimy feel of his tangled beard. He grunted but did not protest, so she rested her entire hand against his cheek.

"I need to see your eyes," she said mildly. "Turn your head just a little." Carefully she increased the pressure of her palm on his cheek to nudge his face toward the dim illumination. He complied, and the dusky light hit his face full-on.

His hands shot up to his eyes and he groaned in agony.

"I'm sorry—" Nyssa began, but he lunged at her, knocking her to the ground.

He was panting in rage and pain, stomping about, kicking at her. His bare foot connected with her stomach, knocking the breath from her. She gasped and rolled to the side, finally managing to pull her knees beneath her and crawl toward the far wall. He continued to kick at the ground, but after a time he pressed his hands to the wall and began to feel his way along toward the back of the cave. Nyssa held her breath as he fumbled toward her.


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor and Adric had reached the river quickly, walking at a brisk pace. Adric was energetic and alert; the only remnants of the difficult night he had passed were a slight puffiness and darkness around his eyes.

They paused at the river to look about, calling Nyssa's name in all directions.

"This way," the Doctor said with a tilt of his head when it was clear that their companion had not heard their cries.

Adric glanced back at the water. "Did you ever ask Gerran about the irrigation system?"

"No, I never got around to it."

"I suppose it's really fairly simple, but it wouldn't be possible without the plastic pipes."

"Yes. Plastic is certainly an effective material."

"But it's not used much on spaceships, is it?"

"Not in the engine components, of course, but it's often found in the plumbing systems."

"The ship their ancestors arrived in must have had a lot of plumbing, then. There are at least two kilometers of irrigation piping."

The Doctor appeared contemplative for a few minutes, merely nodding absently at Adric's continued comments. Finally he said, "I wonder where their ship crashed?"

Adric replied, "I don't know. I haven't seen any wreckage. Have you?"

"No, not a bit. Of course it could be some distance from the village—"

"But not too far. Gerran said the glass came from their ship. They probably wouldn't have carried it all that far."

They reached the area where Vuir collected herbs and searched about for Nyssa for some time, but they found no sign of her. As they headed back toward the village, the Doctor suggested a slight detour over one of the tallest batholiths in the vicinity.

"It's going to be a bit of a hike. Can you manage?" he asked.

"Of course," Adric sniffed. "I told you I'm fine."

The Doctor led Adric up the rocky slope. The boy scrabbled along behind, trying to keep up, but after a short time he was clearly winded. He was beginning to squint in the late morning sun, too.

"Just wait there for a few minutes. I'll be back soon," the Doctor said, clambering easily to the summit.

Adric wanted to follow, but his eyes had begun to water, blurring his vision slightly. When his foot slipped and he slid several meters down on the rough rocks he gave up, sitting down to rub at his palm, which he had scraped badly in the fall.

The Doctor returned in about ten minutes. "Are you all right?" he asked when he saw the boy's position.

Adric shrugged and turned his hand over, trying to hide his injury and the accompanying frustration. "Just waiting for you."

"We can rest here for a few minutes longer if you like—"

"No," Adric replied quickly, "I'm fine." He began to stand, but he needed to brace himself with his hands, and he winced when his sore palm pressed against the rock.

The Doctor lowered himself to a relatively flat rock and sat with outstretched legs. "The view is rather spectacular from here," he commented with a surreptitious sideways glance at his companion.

Adric joined him on the rock, easing his body down beside the Time Lord. "I suppose it was even better from the top."

"Yes, I could see the entire area."

His eyes moved from the vista to Adric's hand. "How badly did you cut it?"

"It's fine—"

"Adric, just answer the question—honestly." He grasped Adric's wrist and turned over his hand to expose the palm.

"It wasn't very deep."

"It's nearly healed now."

"I know. I told you it was fine."

"Yes, you did." He looked out over the land again.

Adric's voice was soft when a moment later he said, "I still heal the same."

The Doctor did not respond to this. Instead he said, "I saw no signs of the crash site."

"Really? Nothing? But surely there'd be some large pieces of metal still. They wouldn't have deteriorated completely, would they?"

"You tell me. What is the average rate of decay for transition metals?"

"What?"

"The rate of decay, Adric. This is precisely the type of situation in which you use the formulae you were studying just before we arrived here."

Adric frowned. "The formulae? For rate of decay?"

"From the text—the one you had misinterpreted."

Adric shook his head. "Doctor, I don't know what you're talking about."

The Doctor's eyes were fixed on him now. "Do you remember arriving here?"

"Of course! We stepped out of the TARDIS and Tegan was mad because we weren't at Heathrow—"

"And just before that?"

"You said you wanted to come here because it was odd that there was humanoid life here; there hadn't been three hundred years ago."

"If the cosine of theta is the square root of three over two, what is theta?"

Adric scoffed. "Thirty degrees, of course!"

"And what is the integral of three x-squared evaluated from one to three?"

"Really, Doctor, that's ridiculous! It's twenty-six, of course."

"But you don't recall our discussion about the ionic value of tamallium?"

"No."

The Doctor stood, extending his hand to Adric. "Come on. We're going back to the village."

Waving the hand aside, Adric rose, asking, "But what about Nyssa?"

"Perhaps Tegan and Gerran found her. Anyway, she's not out here."

As they climbed down the batholith, Adric noticed the Doctor watching him almost constantly. Finally he said, "I told you I'm fine!"

"I want you to try to remember something."

"What?"

"Forty-six, nougat, fusion, twelve, Ios, silicon."

"Why would I want to remember that?"

"Just try."

"Fine. But I wish you hadn't said 'nougat.' It's making me hungry."

------

Morra's ebullient ramblings almost succeeded in loosening the knot in Tegan's stomach. She was still concerned about Nyssa, but the little girl's perpetual cheer was infectious. After she had searched around the area where the child had easily led her, she permitted Morra to show her the flowers.

"But we don't have very much time. I have to get back to the village and let the Doctor know that Nyssa isn't here," Tegan cautioned.

Morra took Tegan's hand again and urged her toward several low-growing bushes.

"The flowers are down here," Morra said, already falling to her hands and knees to look near the bottom of the plants.

Tegan crouched down. Flowers resembling wild roses grew in small clusters amid the dark green leaves. Morra had already begun plucking blossoms and dropping them into her skirt. "I'm going to make you a crown," she announced.

"We really need to get back," Tegan began.

"Please? It's going to be so pretty on your hair." Morra's small hands moved quickly; she had already begun twisting the stems together.

"Well, maybe just a tiara."

"What's that?"

"It's like a crown, but it just covers the front of your head."

Morra smiled. "Okay! Princess Tegan gets a tiara!"

Tegan sat quietly for several minutes until Morra had finished her creation. With a proud grin she placed the arc of flowers on top of Tegan's head.

"Oh! You look beautiful!" Morra gasped.

"Thank you. But we need to go now." Tegan shifted her legs around so that she could stand. Her thoughts had quickly returned to Nyssa as she waited for Morra. She had been staring at her hands, noticing the small cuts and scrapes that remained from the rockslide. What if Nyssa had been involved in a similar accident?

Morra reached for the garland. "Just a little longer, please?"

Tegan shook her head. "No, Morra. I really have to get back—"

The child pressed her hands against Tegan's forehead as she began to rise. The Australian seemed to draw in a sharp breath, then she sank back down to the ground. Morra knelt in front of her, moving her small hands down to Tegan's temples, holding her head steadily. The girl's happy expression, however, quickly changed. After a minute her hands dropped to her sides.

Tegan blinked in confusion. Morra stood before her crying. A moment ago the child had been laughing and smiling. Tegan felt as though she had missed something, but she had no idea what.

"Morra?" she said. "What's the matter?"

The girl continued sobbing. "I'm scared," she gasped. "I want my momma."

Tegan stood quickly, forcing a small threat of vertigo away with a shake of her head. She took Morra's hand. "Come on, then. Let's get back."

The walk to Cira's house was short, less than ten minutes, but Morra continued to cry. Tegan's comforting words had little effect on the disconsolate child. As soon as the house came into view, Morra ran for the door, opening it and disappearing inside. Tegan followed perhaps twenty seconds behind her.

When she stepped through the doorway she found Cira kneeling before her daughter, hands resting on her head. "Sshh," she soothed. "It's all gone now. Momma's going to give you something pretty to see instead."

Morra's eyes were still teary, but she appeared less upset. As Tegan watched, Cira closed her eyes for a few seconds, and Morra's expression abruptly changed to one of joy. Mother and daughter both opened their eyes.

"It's all right, love," Cira said, giving the child a hug.

Morra looked up at Tegan. "You lost your crown!"

Cira turned, surprised to see Tegan standing inside the doorway. Before she could speak, however, Tegan said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. She just started crying and I—"

"It's all right," Cira said rather shortly. "She was just tired. She needs to rest now. Please excuse us."

Tegan immediately backed out the door, interpreting Cira's cool tone as one of reproach. She still did not understand what had caused the child's distress, but it was clear that Tegan was the object of blame.

Tegan hurried back toward Gerran's house. Adric and the Doctor were approaching from the opposite direction. They were alone; they had not found Nyssa.

"No luck?" asked Adric when they neared each other.

Tegan shook her head. "No."

"Perhaps Ellea has heard something," the Doctor said. He ushered his companions toward the house.

Tegan reached the door first and grasped the handle. She glanced down at her hand, lifting it to study the scrapes. She prodded one of the deeper ones.

"Is something the matter?" the Doctor asked.

She looked up at him. "I was just wondering when I scratched my hand."

"Tegan, that's not very amusing," he remonstrated. "You could have been seriously hurt."

"What are you talking about?"

Adric stepped forward. "The rockslide, Tegan."

She blinked at him. "Rockslide? You mean out there?" She turned to point at the batholith. "Where I saw the bird?"

The Doctor took her shoulders. "Stop this, Tegan. It's not funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny! I—" She sniffed; something was tickling her upper lip. She reached up to rub a finger across it. She was surprised to feel warm liquid.

"Oh Tegan, not you too." The Doctor was staring at her in grim fascination.

She lowered her hand to examine her finger. "Cripes, it's blood."

The Doctor quickly retrieved yet another handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her. She took it and pressed it to her nose as he led her inside and urged her to sit in the nearest chair. She had already tilted her head back.

"I'll get a cloth from the kitchen," Adric offered.

"This is the first nosebleed you've had here?" the Doctor asked Tegan.

She nodded and replied rather nasally, "First one ever."

Adric returned with a damp towel and held it out to Tegan. She lowered the handkerchief tentatively.

"No," the Doctor said quickly, "put it back."

She had only caught a glimpse of the cloth, but she saw that it was saturated with blood. Her hand shook as she lifted it toward her nose again. The Doctor rested a hand on her shoulder then turned toward Adric. "What were those things I asked you to remember?"

"Forty-six, nougat, fusion, twelve, Ios, silicon," Adric replied immediately. "But I still don't know what the point of that was."

"A simple memory test," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It seems your short-term storage and retrieval are not impaired."

"But Tegan's is."

Tegan looked at the Time Lord with wide, frightened eyes. He lowered her hand again to check the handkerchief then offered her the towel. She wiped it over her nose and upper lip.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but I'm beginning to have an idea," replied the Doctor. He pulled the small torch from his pocket and shone the beam into each of her eyes. She squinted at the brightness but did not turn her head away.

"Same pupil dilation," he murmured, "and mild light sensitivity."

"Her nosebleed lasted longer," Adric pointed out.

"Yes, it did," the Time Lord confirmed.

"Doctor? What's happening?" Tegan asked.

"You were with Gerran before returning here?" he inquired.

"No, Morra took me out to the area just outside the village. Gerran said he needed to speak with Cira, and Morra really wanted to go—"

"Did she? And what did you do with her there?"

"We looked around, called for Nyssa. Then she wanted to show me some flowers, and after that we came back here."

"That's all?"

"Yes." Tegan dabbed at her nose again. "She started to cry, so I took her home."

"What caused that?"

"I have no idea. I was just sitting there, and she put a garland on my head, and then she began to cry. She wouldn't tell me why."

"Where is the garland now?"

Tegan reached up. "I suppose it fell off. I don't remember."

"And after you returned Morra to her home, what happened?"

Tegan shrugged. "She ran inside. I followed to be sure she was all right. Cira must have comforted her because she was fine by the time I got in the house. But I think Cira thought I'd done something to Morra. She seemed sort of upset with me, so I left."

"And you came straight back here?"

Tegan nodded.

"How do you feel now?"

"Fine."

"All right. We need to find Nyssa as soon as possible then return to the TARDIS. But we must stay together at all times. I don't want either one of you to leave my sight."

"Why?" Adric asked.

"Because," the Doctor replied, "someone or something here has affected both of you in the same way."

"So you think I'm sick just as Adric was?"

"Sick? No. I don't believe this is an illness. I believe it is the effect of a specific action—one that has caused a brief yet very significant disruption of the electrical activity in your brains, leading to memory loss as well as the other symptoms we've seen."

"What sort of action?" Tegan asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm not sure."

"Do you think it has something to do with Nyssa's disappearance?" asked Adric.

"Possibly." The Doctor was already moving back to the door as he spoke. "But regardless, we need to find her. Come on."

------

Nyssa had found that remaining still was the best way to keep her captor quiet and calm. He had finally settled down a few feet away from her, his back toward the cave entrance. He was hunched upon the ground with his legs drawn up to his chest and his head pressed against his knees. He still moaned occasionally, and she continued to believe that he was in pain. His actions toward her, she now realized, were not intended to harm her; rather, they were reactions to physical discomfort. However, this new understanding did not assuage her fear. Like a wounded animal, she knew that he could be extremely dangerous if provoked in any way.

Nyssa wanted to help him, to ease his pain. But to do this she would need to escape from the cave, and his current position blocked the narrow passageway quite solidly. She felt certain that he would not permit her to touch him again, and without the chance to examine him she had no way to determine what was causing his distress.

She watched him as he hunkered miserably before her. It was chilly and damp in the cave, and she wondered if he was cold. His clothes were in tatters, providing scant protection from the cold. The quilt lay at her feet. She ran her hand over the fabric, again noting the design and wondering where she had seen it before. Tentatively she lifted the edge of the quilt. The man did not stir.

Nyssa slowly slid the covering across the floor toward him. When it touched his fingers he opened his eyes to squint at it then lifted his head toward her. He grunted.

"Take it, please," she said softly. "You're cold. It will warm you." She gestured toward the comforter.

He grasped it and pulled it up then shrugged it over his bent shoulders. He coughed hoarsely and fumbled about with clumsy hands, reaching to the sides and front as though searching for something. Nyssa looked around. A jug sat against the wall just to her left. She took it and held it out to him.

"Is this what you want?"

He reached out, but his hands were still several inches from the jug. Nyssa got up on her knees and leaned toward him. "Here."

He moved his hands slowly until his fingers brushed against the jug, then he took it in both hands and drank. His motions were awkward, and water dribbled down his chin and onto his chest. She realized that all of his movements were jerky, and his actions in taking the jug showed her that his eyesight was very poor. Perhaps he was ill.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" she asked gently, although she did not expect him to answer.

He set the jug on the ground with a thud; it seemed to slip from his hand as he lowered it. Nyssa studied the container for a few moments. It was the same as the others she had seen in the village. As her eyes moved around the cave, she noted again that several baskets and additional jugs sat along the walls. She saw that the basket nearest her still contained something. Slowly she reached for it, wrapping her fingers around a slightly soft object with a rough outer covering. She realized that it was a cooked sweet potato.

"You stay here by yourself, but someone brings you food and blankets," she mused softly. "Surely you don't like living out here like this? Was this your choice?"

He moaned again, her words incomprehensible to him but her tone touching some small part of his mind that still remained unscarred.

------

As soon as the Doctor, Adric, and Tegan left the house they realized that the village was largely deserted.

"Perhaps they're all inside eating lunch," Tegan suggested.

A few quick peeks through nearby windows dismissed this theory.

"We should check all of the houses just the same," the Doctor said. "Nyssa could be inside any one of them."

They moved along swiftly, looking inside each home they passed. All were empty. When they neared the meeting house, they heard a low murmur of voices. Adric hurried up to the window through which he had looked two days before and peered inside. He saw the villagers gathered along the benches. Gerran stood at the front of the assembly addressing them, gesticulating excitedly as he spoke. Adric found his expression earnest and intense.

"They're having some sort of meeting, I think," he reported to his companions.

"Good," said the Doctor. "We can carry on looking for Nyssa here."

They continued their impromptu search with the same disappointing results. After half an hour the only buildings they had not inspected were the foundry, the store, and one additional, large edifice at the edge of the village. Nyssa was not at the foundry or in the store, and when Adric pulled the handle on the door of the final building he was surprised to find that it was locked. No other door had been barred or secured in any way.

"I think it's locked," he said, jiggling the handle.

"They said they don't lock their doors. Remember, Gerran didn't even know what a key was," the Doctor reminded him. The Time Lord walked around the building quickly, looking for any other doors or windows, but the front portal was the only entrance.

Tegan knocked on the door, calling, "Nyssa! Are you in there?"

The Doctor tried the door handle again, finding it just as unyielding as Adric had. "We'll have to force the door," he said. "Adric, give me a hand."

Adric nudged the Doctor aside and bent to study the handle more closely. He seemed to fiddle with it for a few seconds then he stood and, with a flick of the handle, opened the door. Grinning, he said, "Was that handy enough?"

"Nyssa!" Tegan called again, pushing past Adric to enter the building.

The interior was dim, but light streaming in through the door provided sufficient illumination for the visitors to see that a large table sat in the center of the room covered in a variety of objects. The Doctor inspected several, commenting, "A barometer—the decorative type from late-twentieth century Earth; a broken hand-held data storage device; an old portable DVD player—"

"What's a DVD?" interrupted Tegan.

The Doctor did not reply. He had moved on to a dozen or so papers spread out on the table. He skimmed the writing that covered them.

"What does it say?" asked Adric.

"It seems that someone has been making rather detailed notes about the things we've told these people. Nearly every bit of information from our second day here when we told them about Earth is recorded here."

Tegan and Adric read over a few of the notes. "Wow, talk about good memory!" she said. "They really have written down every detail. I don't even remember telling them all of these things."

Adric's hand was pressed over the edge of a single sheet, and his eyes were fixed upon it. "Doctor," he said slowly, "what's this?"

The Doctor moved over to study the page. "It's the formulae for rate of decay—"

"That you were asking me about earlier?"

The Doctor nodded.

"How—how did they know about this? They haven't shown any advanced mathematics knowledge."

"No," confirmed the Doctor, "they haven't. And this is something that you knew and understood three days ago."

Adric continued to stare at the lines of symbols until the Doctor touched his shoulder. "Come on. We need to find Nyssa now."

He led his companions out of the building. Both blinked at the sudden change in light, their eyes watering uncomfortably. The Doctor hustled them along the edge of the village, skirting the outer homes.

"Where are we going?" asked Tegan.

"To the one place that no one would think to look."


	9. Chapter 9

The batholith towered above them, its shadow stretching out over the plain.

"But why would she have come out here?" Tegan was asking as they neared the base of the mountain. "Gerran and Ellea specifically told us to avoid this area—"

"Yes, and if you wanted to hide someone away, this would be just the place. The villagers are afraid to come here," replied the Doctor.

"So you think they brought her here? But why? What would be the point? If it's that dangerous, no one would want to come out here."

"I don't know what the point is, Tegan, unless—" The Doctor paused.

"What?" asked Adric.

"I was just about to return for the TARDIS when Gerran told me that she was missing."

"Cripes," Tegan said. "Do you think they've hidden her out here to keep us from leaving?"

"It seems likely," the Doctor responded.

Tegan lifted her head and called, "Nyssa!"

She was surprised when the Doctor clapped his hand over her mouth. "Stop that, Tegan. You could trigger another rockslide."

"Sorry," she muttered. "I forgot."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Yes, you did. Let's search around the base. If she's here she probably wouldn't be too far up."

They began walking along the outer edge of the batholith, looking up at the crevices for any signs of their friend. They called her name but kept their voices steady and low. The wind had begun to pick up, and clouds were gathering again in the sky. Several times Tegan thought she heard a human voice cry out, but she realized that it was just the wind rushing over the rocks.

When they had gone half way around the mountain, she heard the wind again. This time, however, it was softer, and it seemed to echo slightly. She listened carefully then glanced at the Doctor. He was listening, too, lifting his eyes to scan the area directly above.

"That's not the wind," she finally said. She was certain that she had heard her name drift indistinctly down from the rock.

"No, it's not." The Doctor pointed at a narrow opening about five meters ahead and scrabbled over the rock toward it. "Nyssa!" he now called, apparently unconcerned about rockslides.

"Doctor!" Nyssa's clear, sweet voice beckoned them from the fissure.

The Doctor reached the opening first and immediately withdrew his small torch to shine the light inside. The beam bounced off of the back wall to reveal Nyssa standing with her hands pressed against the rock. He moved the light, and it fell upon a large figure standing before his friend.

"Are you all right?" he called to her.

She nodded. "Be careful Doctor, he doesn't like the—"

Before she could finish, the Doctor had focused the beam upon the man's face. He bellowed in pain, swinging his arms wildly as he lurched to the side, away from the light. His hand connected solidly with Nyssa's temple, and she stumbled with a gasp.

"Don't you hurt her!" Adric had pushed his way into the cave and taken up one of the jugs that lay near the entrance. He lunged at the man, hurling the clay container at his head. The jug shattered, and the man dropped to the ground with a groan. He lay unmoving in the dirt.

The Doctor hurried forward to help Nyssa to her feet. He secured his arm around her waist and half-carried her toward the entrance. Tegan was waiting for them, reaching out immediately for her friend.

"Nyssa? Are you all right?" she asked.

Nyssa nodded somewhat woozily. She twisted her head to look back inside the cave. "He didn't mean to hurt me," she began.

Tegan was trying to look at the mark the man's fist had left on Nyssa's temple, but she brushed her friend's hand away and fixed her gaze on the Doctor. "There's something the matter with him. Will you see if he's all right?"

He nodded and returned to the cave. Adric was still standing over Nyssa's captor, alternating his attention between him and her. The Doctor knelt down beside the man and checked his pulse.

"Is he still alive?" asked Adric.

"Yes." He ran his hand over the man's head. "You hit him pretty hard, though."

"He was attacking Nyssa—"

"No," Nyssa said, stepping back into the cave, "he wasn't doing it intentionally. He's been badly hurt or has suffered some sort of serious neurological degeneration. He doesn't understand what he's doing."

The Doctor had lifted the man's eyelid to check his pupils.

"Be careful," Nyssa said. "The light hurts his eyes."

The Doctor looked up at her. "It does?"

She nodded. "Yes, terribly."

"Do you have any idea who he is?" asked the Time Lord.

Nyssa shook her head. "No, but someone has kept him supplied with food, water, and blankets." She swept her hand over the various supplies scattered throughout the cave.

Tegan was staring at the quilt. "Didn't Ellea tell us that each woman designs her own quilt pattern when she gets married?"

"Yes, I think she—" began Nyssa. "Oh! That's where I've seen it before. This is Ellea's pattern."

The Doctor stood. "Come on," he said gruffly.

"Where are we going?" asked Tegan.

"Back to the village. I want to know what's going on here."

"What about him?" asked Adric.

"There's nothing more I can do for him here. Perhaps I can bring the TARDIS later… In the meantime, I think it's safest to leave him here. As Nyssa said, he has serious neurological damage, and he may be a danger to others as well as to himself. I believe that is the reason he's been kept out here."

Nyssa placed a rolled blanket beneath the man's head and tucked the quilt around him before they left

"I wish we'd brought a lantern," Tegan said as they began to walk, noting that the sky had darkened considerably.

"We won't be out here long," the Doctor said.

"But in this light the wild boars may come out."

"Tegan," the Doctor said wearily, "there are no wild boars."

"What? Then what are the people afraid of?" Before anyone could respond, she said, with sudden comprehension, "Oh, it was him, wasn't it? He was making the noises. They were scared of him."

Nyssa stumbled on the rocky ground, and the Doctor helped her up. "Are you all right?" he asked taking her arms carefully and looking her up and down. "Did he hurt you?"

"No."

He brushed back her hair to examine the bruise on her temple then touched a rip in her sleeve. "He did this?"

"I'm not injured," she said firmly.

He nodded. "All right." Nonetheless, he kept his hand gently on the small of her back as they walked along.

"Gerran was taking food to him in the mornings, wasn't he?" Tegan asked after a minute or two of thought.

"Actually it was Ellea," the Doctor replied, "At least most mornings. He didn't want her to go this morning because he knew she'd find Nyssa."

"So Ellea wasn't aware that I was in the cave?"

"No, I don't think so. By the way," said the Doctor, "how did you end up out here? Did Gerran bring you?"

"No, not directly. He told me that there had been a rockslide and that all of you were hurt. I came out to help, and that poor man found me. He took me to the cave."

"He kept you there?" asked Tegan.

"Yes, in a manner of speaking. He became very agitated when I moved or tried to touch him."

Adric spoke next. "So Gerran sent you out here, knowing that the man would take you and that we wouldn't leave without you. Do you think any of the other villagers were in on it?"

"Vuir may have been," replied the Doctor.

"Oh no, I don't believe that," said Nyssa. "She's very committed to helping others. I can't image that she'd willingly hurt anyone. She was close to tears when she told me about the babies and children who have died—"

"What did she tell you?" asked the Doctor rather sharply.

"Just that she wasn't sure why they had become ill. She tried everything that she could to help, but she couldn't save them. She feels terrible, especially about Gerran and Ellea's child."

"Is she worried about the pregnancy?" the Doctor asked.

"Pregnancy?" Nyssa repeated. "She didn't say anything to me about it. Ellea is pregnant?"

"Yes," responded the Doctor.

"I didn't know," said Nyssa.

"There's something else that you may not know, either," he said. He gave her a succinct summary of Adric's and Tegan's recent difficulties.

"Oh no," the young Traken woman said when he had finished. She clasped both friends' hands. "I'm so sorry."

"We're all right," Tegan reassured her.

"For the moment," the Doctor cautioned. "But remember, none of you is to leave my sight. We don't know what they've done to you, and I don't want it to happen again."

"Perhaps we should just go directly to the TARDIS," Nyssa suggested. "You'll be safe there."

The Doctor disagreed. "No, Nyssa, I need to find out what has been done to them. As soon as I do we'll all return to the TARDIS."

The village was still quiet when they entered, although a few people were moving along the paths in the distance. Nyssa was beginning to shiver; the chilly, damp weather and the frightening night she had spent in the cave were affecting her. The small group sought the warmth of Gerran's house. When they arrived they found the home empty.

Tegan prepared tea while the Doctor added wood to the fire. Wrapped in a blanket, Nyssa settled on the small sofa next to Adric. She removed the single decorative pillow to give herself a bit more room.

"Let me see that," the Doctor said, nodding toward the pillow. Nyssa handed it to him. Running his fingers over the soft surface of the fabric, he appeared contemplative. Finally he said, "The goats don't belong here."

Tegan handed Nyssa a steaming mug. "What?" she asked.

The Time Lord lifted the pillow. "This fabric is wool, made from goat hair. But it's a soft variety, the type found on goats living in warm climates. The animals from which this came are indigenous to a temperate area. They are not native to this planet. Neither are the sweet potatoes that Ellea has served us."

"So the original inhabitants brought the goats and potatoes with them," Adric concluded.

"Yes," replied the Doctor, "they must have. But why would travelers have goats with them? For that matter, why would they be carrying sweet potato seeds or medical textbooks or large quantities of plastic piping?"

"And why wouldn't there be any remains of their ship's crash?" Adric added.

"They didn't crash land here, did they?" asked Tegan.

"I don't believe so," the Doctor responded. "From all appearances, it seems that the original inhabitants knew that they would be settling here. They brought a number of items that would assist them in survival."

"So Gerran lied to us about his ancestors," said Tegan.

"Yes, it seems that he did," the Doctor replied.

Nyssa said, "Unless he didn't know. Is it possible that the original inhabitants told their children that they crashed here? Perhaps they didn't want future generations to know what brought them here."

"I suppose that is possible," the Time Lord acknowledged. He bent toward the fire for a moment to warm his hands then turned toward his companions. "You three stay here. I'll be back soon."

"Where are you going?" Adric asked.

"To find out why Gerran sent Nyssa out to the mountain. He's lied to us more than once, and I want to know the reason."

After the Doctor left, the three young people sat quietly for several minutes until Ellea entered the house. She was somewhat startled to find her guests waiting for her.

"Nyssa," she said almost breathlessly, "you're all right. I'm glad."

"Thank you," replied the young scientist.

"Do you know where she was?" asked Tegan pointedly.

Ellea shook her head. "No. I was worried that you'd gone out to look around and had gotten lost."

"She was held captive in a cave in the mountain," Tegan said.

Ellea blanched and reached out for a nearby chair to steady herself. Nyssa and Tegan hurried toward her and helped her to sit comfortably near the fire. She had pressed a hand to her chest; she seemed to have trouble catching her breath.

"I'll get some water," Tegan offered, hurrying to the kitchen.

Nyssa took Ellea's hand. "I'm all right. He didn't hurt me."

Ellea nodded in relief but remained pale.

"So you had nothing to do with Nyssa's being sent out to the mountain?" Adric asked.

"No. I'm sorry. You should—never have been—out there alone," she gasped.

Nyssa knelt before her. "We know that this wasn't your fault. We're not angry with you. Try to relax. Take some deep breaths."

Ellea nodded and closed her eyes for a few seconds. Tegan appeared with a cup of water, which she offered to their hostess. Ellea took a small sip.

"Are you feeling better?" Nyssa asked.

"Yes," Ellea replied softly.

"Ellea," Nyssa said, "we need to know what's going on here. Who is the man in the cave?"

She swallowed. "His name is Shand. He's my brother."

All three companions exchanged surprised glances. "Rannal's father?" Adric questioned.

Ellea acknowledged this with a slight nod.

"But Gerran told us that he had died," Tegan said.

Ellea shook her head. "No, he didn't. He was in a terrible accident—a rockslide, and we thought that he would die. Vuir was certain of it, he was so badly hurt."

"He must have suffered severe brain trauma," Nyssa said.

"No, his head wasn't injured. It was his lungs. He couldn't breathe—he was suffocating, and he had only moments left to live. We were sure he was dying, so we—" She sniffed and blinked back tears, wiping a hand over her eyes.

"What did you do?" asked Nyssa.

"Vuir had read about something—a way of helping a person to breathe. She cut into his chest and put a tube into his lung."

"And that saved him," Tegan easily concluded.

"Yes."

"But still he suffered terrible neurological damage," Nyssa said.

"Was his brain deprived of oxygen?" asked Tegan.

Nyssa glanced at her, saying softly, "I don't think so." She returned her gaze to Ellea. "Tell me what happened to him."

Ellea shook her head slowly, tears flowing from her eyes. "I can't," she whispered.

Nyssa took her hand. "Yes, you can. You've been caring for him, bringing him food and blankets despite the danger he presented to you and your unborn child." She ran her fingertips over the bruise on Ellea's cheek. "You alone have taken responsibility for him. And yet the guilt you feel is still overwhelming. I think it's affecting your health and that of your child." Nyssa touched Ellea's stomach lightly. "Tell us what happened."

She looked up at Nyssa. "We have all agreed that we mustn't ever speak of it to you." She clasped Nyssa's hand fiercely. "Please, Nyssa, find the Doctor and go back to your ship. Leave this planet. Go now."

"We can't do that yet," Nyssa replied. "Adric and Tegan have been ill. The Doctor won't return to the TARDIS until he knows what happened to them. Please, Ellea, tell us what is going on."

Ellea still hesitated. Tegan prompted, "We already know that the story about your ancestors crash-landing here is a lie. They knew they'd be settling here and brought things that would help them survive—goats, vegetable seeds, reference books, pipes."

Ellea remained silent.

"Your ancestors," continued Adric, "must have been sent here. It probably wasn't their choice, either. They were given minimal items for survival—enough materials to keep them alive, but not enough to permit technological growth. The lack of machinery," he reasoned aloud, "indicates that whoever sent them here wanted to be sure that they wouldn't have the technology to leave."

Ellea listened raptly to his explanation, making no attempts to deny or justify the information.

"Ellea," Nyssa said, "tell us why they were sent here."

She blinked back tears. "Please, just go," she finally choked out.

"Not until we know the truth," Tegan responded.

Nyssa was still clasping her hand. "It has something to do with your brother and with what has happened to Adric and Tegan, doesn't it?"

Her eyes widened in response.

"We know about your first child, Lara," Nyssa said gently. "I'm very sorry for your loss. There have been others, too, haven't there?" Without waiting for her to reply, she continued. "Something is happening to the children here, something that weakens them and often kills them. This generation is obviously much smaller than the previous ones. Tell us what caused your ancestors to be sent away. The life of your child may depend upon it."

Ellea was trembling. "You know of a way to save my child?"

"Possibly. But we can only help you if you tell us the truth."

"After what has happened," she looked up at Nyssa, "you would still help us?"

"Of course," Nyssa replied without hesitation.

Ellea wiped at the tears in her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath.

------

The Doctor walked quickly along the path toward the meeting house. Several people passed him, but his short greetings were met with curt nods at best. He had the distinct feeling that the villagers had suddenly grown uncomfortable around him. Their curiosity and open desire for the knowledge that he could share with them had abruptly ceased.

He asked several residents where Gerran was. All responded politely yet briefly that he was still at the meeting house. The Time Lord hurried toward the large building. The door stood open, and he stepped inside to find Gerran conversing intently with several other men.

"Gerran." His voice had a sharp edge that caught the man's attention immediately.

"Good afternoon, Doctor. Have you found Nyssa?"

"Yes, we have."

Gerran's eyes widened in surprise. "And is she… all right?"

"Fortunately, she is." He kept his tone even, but his anger was quickly building. "No thanks to you."

"To me? I'm not sure what you mean—"

"You sent her out to the mountain. You knew that man was out there and that he posed a threat to her—"

He was aware that someone was creeping up behind him, but he whirled around an instant too late to avoid the stout log that was swung at his head. It connected with a dull thud, sending him sprawling back, fighting for consciousness as he fell to the floor.

------

Ellea took another calming breath then began: "Our ancestors were sent away because of a special ability they possessed. They were all related—two brothers, a sister, three cousins, an aunt and two uncles—and their family line had always been sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others."

"They were empaths?" Nyssa asked.

"I'm not sure. But in this generation, the group who first came here, the ability had grown and changed. They were able to take vague impressions from other people, to glimpse their memories."

"How?" Tegan asked.

"We don't understand it completely. Government scientists ran tests on our ancestors, and I suppose that at one time someone understood it, but that knowledge has been lost to us."

"They were sent away," Adric said, "because the government feared their abilities?"

Ellea shook her head. "No, that's not entirely right. The government wanted them to use their special skills to take information from others, but our ancestors refused; they didn't want to be spies. The government told them that they would be sent away if they didn't cooperate."

"And they were?" Adric confirmed.

She nodded. "Once they got here they had plenty of time to think about what had happened. In retrospect, they probably were exiled partially out of fear. After all, they could have used their skills to learn about their own government's secrets if they chose."

"The skill has grown stronger with each subsequent generation," surmised Nyssa. "Inbreeding can strengthen particular traits Unfortunately it can also lead to genetic weaknesses and mutations. That is probably why the children who have been born recently have been ill and weak."

"We didn't know…" Ellea murmured. "We've brought this upon ourselves, haven't we?"

Nyssa replied, "I'm sure you had no way of knowing. At first your ancestors only saw the positive traits. Often negative consequences aren't apparent for several generations. But we'd like to hear more about your own present abilities."

"Now," said Ellea quietly, "each one of us has the ability to take memories from others. But we don't use this skill to harm anyone."

"But Rannal and Morra used it on Adric and me, and it gave us nosebleeds and made him sick," Tegan reminded her.

"And I'm very sorry about that. Children are forbidden to use the skill without adult supervision. They don't understand it, and they can't control it as adults can. Rannal and Morra should not have done that to either of you; it was wrong. Adults use it primarily to improve closeness between spouses, to comfort our children, and to share memories of those who have left us."

In response to her listeners' inquisitive looks, she continued, "After a person has died, we gather periodically to share memories of him or her. We permit the surviving spouse, or occasionally an older child, to take a memory of the person. The worship we held two days ago was to remember Shand. People who knew him well shared their memories with Cira and the children."

"When Morra was upset," Tegan said, "Cira said she'd make her feel better and told her she'd give her something pretty to see. Was she using the skill?"

Ellea nodded. "Parents often take away memories of frightening or unpleasant experiences from their children."

"But they can give them memories or images, too?" Nyssa questioned.

"Yes—but only a mother can do this. The men have never developed that part of the skill."

"Hormones released during pregnancy must affect the ability," Nyssa concluded.

"I don't know," Ellea said.

Adric had stood and was now pacing back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back. The Doctor's influence on his posture was quite evident. "You said that adults use the skill mostly to improve closeness, for comfort, and to share memories. How else do they use it?"

Ellea seemed to pale slightly at his question. She pressed her lips together. "Just before a person dies," she said slowly, "we take his or her memories."

"All of them?" asked Adric, somewhat shocked at the prospect.

"Yes. If the person is married, the spouse takes most of the memories, and if there are grown children, they take some. Others—siblings, aunts, uncles, or close friends—may take a few bits as well. If the person has special knowledge, such as Vuir's mother did, it can be passed on to the next person who will assume the role."

"And you thought that your brother's death was imminent," Nyssa said sympathetically, "so you and Cira and the others took all his memories. But he survived."

Ellea had begun to cry again. "Yes," she whispered. "Vuir wanted to try the procedure with the tube, to see if it would work so that she might be able to save others. But he was so close to death. We had to take his memories before he died or they would be lost—and he was very knowledgeable about our plants, so we needed his memories. We continued even as she was working on him. When he began to breathe and we realized that he might live, we had already taken everything from him."

"And damaged his central nervous system in the process," Nyssa finished.

"But the memories could be put back, couldn't they?" Tegan asked. "Couldn't you or Cira return them?"

"There was too much damage," Ellea said. "We tried to replace some of the memories, but he bled and screamed in pain, and we knew that it was useless."

"So you sent him to the cave; you exiled him just as your own ancestors were exiled here?" Tegan asked rather indignantly.

"We had no choice. He was like an animal; we couldn't communicate with him, and he lashed out at everyone. I've tried to keep him comfortable—"

"Why you? Why not Cira?" asked Adric.

"She was devastated, and the children were crushed and confused. They don't know that he's still alive. They wouldn't understand, and if they were to see him there is a good chance that he'd hurt them. He wouldn't know who they are—"

With a worried edge in her voice, Nyssa asked, "What the children did to Adric and Tegan. Will it cause permanent damage?"

Ellea shook her head. "I don't think so. They aren't the first children to experiment with their skills on adults. No one has ever shown any long-term effects from the process."

"But our memories are gone!" Adric protested. "He took away some of my mathematics knowledge!"

"You can learn it again," Ellea reassured him.

"And the memories of events that we've experienced?" Tegan asked. "How can we get those back?"

Ellea sighed. "I'm afraid that you can't."

------

The Doctor fought to remain conscious. His vision was intermittently blurred, and he felt slightly queasy. Gerran's face swam hazily before him. He blinked, forcing himself back to alertness.

"What is it, exactly, that you want from me?" he asked, beginning to lift his hand to massage his throbbing head. His arm, however, was restrained. Indeed, he discovered that both arms were held securely behind his back. He was sitting upon the floor with two men behind him.

Gerran was crouched in front of the Time Lord, watching him with an odd expression on his face. "I want to know how to fly your ship."

"You want to leave here?"

Gerran nodded. "We must return to Earth. It is the only hope for my child. Our first child died before she was a year old, and Ellea has lost two others before their births. And she isn't the only one. Our people will die out if we stay here."

"I can help you. Nyssa and I can figure out what's causing the difficulties and—"

"No," Gerran said sadly. "We have to go back to Earth. We've waited five generations for this chance. We can't pass it up now."

He lifted his hands to study them for a moment before returning his gaze to the Doctor's face. "You won't remember this, but at least you'll know now that I ask for your forgiveness. There is no other way."

His hands, trembling slightly, moved toward the Doctor.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor asked.

"I have no other choice," Gerran said. He rested his right hand against the Doctor's temple.

In an instant the Doctor understood. He twisted his body fiercely, trying to break the grip of the men who restrained him. But they were strong and he sensed an unyielding determination in them. They held him more firmly. Two others stepped forward to hold down his legs.

"You can't do this!" the Doctor cried. "You don't know the effects—"

Gerran pressed his left hand over the Doctor's forehead. His voice was low as he uttered, "I'm sorry."


	10. Chapter 10

Adric and Tegan still felt slightly dazed from the information Ellea had shared.

"Rannal had no right to take that from me!" he said.

"No, he didn't," Ellea agreed, "but he really didn't understand what he was doing."

"If you believe that using this skill is wrong, then why do you continue to use it?" Nyssa asked.

"We don't believe that it's wrong when it's used for comfort or for intimacy. And in some situations—" She stopped abruptly, growing pale again.

Nyssa and Tegan exchanged glances. "In what kind of situations?" the Australian asked.

Ellea shook her head. Her eyes were bright with tears. "In desperate times…" she whispered.

"Desperate times?" Adric repeated. "Like with Shand?"

Ellea's eyes flicked to the Doctor's hat, which hung near the door. "You should find him," she said, her voice nearly inaudible. "Find him and leave. You don't have much time."

"What are you talking about?" Tegan asked.

"Oh!" Nyssa gasped and stood abruptly.

"Nyssa?" Tegan questioned. "What is it?"

"We must find the Doctor, and we must find him now," Nyssa replied quickly. She took Tegan's hand to pull her to her feet.

Tears streamed down Ellea's face. "They don't feel that they have a choice," she murmured. "Gerran wants to take me back to Earth. He thinks it's the only way to save our child."

"A choice about what?" Adric asked.

"About taking the Doctor's memories," Nyssa replied with uncharacteristic sharpness. She turned back to Ellea. "Where are they?"

Ellea shook her head. "I don't know."

Tegan was already at the door, grabbing the Doctor's hat as though this item were a tangible link to him. Adric and Nyssa followed her out, all hoping that they could reach their friend before it was too late.

------

The Doctor was staring straight ahead, his eyes clouding slightly as his focus seemed to dull. Gerran sat before him with his hands upon the Time Lord's head.

"Thank you, Doctor," he said softly as the pressure of his palms increased.

The Doctor's eyes darkened and the lids grew heavy. His features seemed to freeze for a moment, then his mouth opened slightly in a deep exhalation. Blood began to trickle from his nose. He slumped down, his body prevented from sliding to the floor only by the hands that still held him. His head lolled back as the blood flowed more heavily. The color had drained entirely from his face.

Gerran's expression had been intent since he first touched the Doctor, but now his mouth twitched and his hands trembled. He had closed his eyes, but they moved rapidly beneath his lids.

"Gerran?" one of the men asked.

Two men moved forward, cautiously placing their hands upon Gerran's shoulders. His head jerked back, hands dropping from the Doctor to press against his own temples. His mouth moved into a deep grimace then opened; guttural groans built quickly to a terrified scream.

------

Tegan, Nyssa, and Adric heard the wrenching cry as they hurried along the path. Without stopping to speak, Tegan pointed toward the meeting house and sprinted ahead. She flung open the door as her eyes searched the room. In a moment she had found her friend; he lay motionless upon the floor, his ashen face smeared with blood. She took little notice of Gerran, who had fallen back and was now supported by several other men.

Tegan ran to the Doctor. She fell to her knees at his side, pressing her hands over his chest. Nyssa and Adric had entered the building a few seconds after she did. Nyssa seemed frozen for a moment, but she finally took a breath then hurried to join Tegan, Adric close at her heels.

"Is he alive?" Nyssa asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"His hearts are beating," Tegan said. She removed the decorative handkerchief from her pocket and began mopping at the blood beneath his nose. "Doctor," she urged, "come on, wake up."

He did not stir.

"Gerran, no!" Ellea's frantic utterance echoed slightly through the room. She stood in the doorway, Vuir beside her.

"Leave us alone," Vuir said firmly to the other men. They left the building begrudgingly.

Nyssa took the Doctor's cold, limp hand. "Did you see Adric after Rannal took his memories?"

Tegan nodded numbly.

"And was he this still? Was there this much blood?"

The Australian shook her head, blinking at the tears clouding her vision. "No. I don't think he was unconscious at all."

"Gerran wanted his memories of the TARDIS," said Nyssa slowly. "But he must have had to take a great deal more…"

Tegan rested her hand on the Time Lord's cheek. "So he's seen what the Doctor's seen."

Nyssa and Tegan exchanged frightened glances, then Tegan turned to face Ellea and Vuir, who had bent over Gerran. The man was writhing, his hands clenching and unclenching as his mouth worked silently.

Tegan pointed at the Doctor. Her voice shook as she asked, "Is he like Shand now?"

Vuir looked up. "I don't know. I can't say how much Gerran took from him."

"Can you do anything to help?" Nyssa asked Vuir.

Vuir shook her head.

Ellea, however, had straightened. "I won't have this happen again," she said, a sudden, deadly calm freezing her features. She rested her hands on Gerran's shoulders then moved them up to his temples.

"What are you doing?" Vuir hissed. "You can't—"

"I'm the only one who can," she said placidly. "After I've finished with him, you know what to do." She closed her eyes.

"What's she doing?" asked Tegan, still wiping at the Doctor's nose.

Vuir shook her head, pressing her hand over her mouth and blinking away tears. Ellea's expression gradually changed to one of wonder then fear. Her arms began to shake, but her hands remained on Gerran's head. After a minute she started to sink to the floor. Vuir wrapped her arms about her waist to keep her from falling.

"What did she mean when she said 'you know what to do'?" asked Tegan.

Vuir glared at her. "Nothing!"

Tegan stood and faced the two women. "No, she knew what she was doing. Tell me what she meant!"

Vuir looked away, but Nyssa's soft voice drew her attention again. "Please, Vuir, if you can do anything to help the Doctor, please, I beg you, do it. Please don't let him end up like Shand."

Vuir swallowed. "It could kill her," she said.

"And Gerran might have killed the Doctor!" Adric said angrily.

"It's what she wants." Nyssa's gentle tone seemed to reach Vuir more deeply than Adric's ire had.

Hesitantly at first, then with surer motions, Vuir helped Ellea move across the floor toward the Doctor, leaning into her ear to say, "You're beside the Doctor now." She lifted the woman's hands and held them over the Doctor's forehead.

Ellea's eyes opened halfway, and she smiled sadly. Then her jaw clenched and her body stiffened. Vuir kept her hands firmly against the Time Lord's head for over a minute as Ellea blanched. Her breathing became shallow, and she began to sway. Tegan, Nyssa, and Adric could see that she was making a tremendous effort to remain conscious. Finally she gasped and collapsed against Vuir.

The healer bent over her niece, caressing her face and speaking soothing words to her. Tegan and Nyssa turned their attentions back to the Doctor, who remained motionless and pale on the floor. Nyssa lifted his eyelid to study the eye while Tegan rubbed his hand lightly with her palms. Adric stood watching the women, deep concern etched into his features.

"What did she do to him?" he finally asked.

Vuir looked up from Ellea. "She tried to take his memories from Gerran and put them back."

"She was able to do it because she's pregnant," Nyssa said with sudden comprehension. "Her abilities must be heightened now."

Vuir nodded. "But I don't know what she's done to herself in the process." Her eyes moved to the Time Lord's pallid face. "And I don't know whether she was successful or not."

"If she wasn't," Tegan said softly to Nyssa, "will he regenerate?"

Nyssa shook her head anxiously then looked up at Adric.

The boy responded, "I honestly don't know."

------

The Doctor lay quietly beneath the sheet, his skin and hair pale against the white linens. His chest rose and fell slowly, almost languidly, but beneath his closed lids his eyes began to move.

"I think he's coming around," Tegan said softly from her chair next to the bed.

Adric and Nyssa both sat on the other side of the room, each reading quietly, he a mathematics text and she a neurobiology reference. They looked up at their companion's words.

Tegan took the Doctor's hand in hers. "Come on, Doctor, it's time to wake up. Rabbits, we've missed your lectures and crazy treks out to the middle of—" She paused to sniff, then dabbed at her nose and eyes with a handkerchief.

He opened his eyes and blinked at her.

"Doctor," she said, "it's me, Te—"

"No!" Nyssa said quickly, moving to her side in an instant. "You have to let him tell us."

Reluctantly Tegan shut her mouth.

"Do you know who we are?" Nyssa asked him gently.

His eyes moved from her face to Tegan's then Adric's, lingering on each for several seconds. He shook his head and pressed a hand over his eyes. Once again Tegan blinked back tears and sniffed into her hankie.

"You're not still having nosebleeds, are you?" the Doctor asked her, uncovering his eyes and sitting up.

"I'm—" Tegan stammered, for once at a true loss for words.

"No, Doctor, she's not," Adric replied with superficial calm, but his voice shook slightly with excitement.

"And you're not either, Adric?" the Time Lord asked.

Adric grinned. "No."

"Well then, everything seems to be back to normal," the Doctor proclaimed cheerily. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and tossed the sheet aside. However, when he began to stand he swayed a bit. Tegan helped him to sit again as Nyssa took a small device from the bedside table and passed it before his eyes.

She studied the diminutive screen for a few moments. When she looked up, he reached for the device, saying, "May I?"

She nodded and handed it to him. His eyes flicked over the readout. "Hmm… I don't seem too worse for the wear," he commented.

"No," Nyssa said, "the readings are all within the normal range—at least I think they are. They're much higher than would be normal for a human."

He cocked an eyebrow at her in response.

"Do you remember what happened to you?" asked Tegan.

He frowned slightly. "I went to the meeting house to speak with Gerran, and someone struck me with a heavy object. I was held down, and Gerran tried to take information from my mind."

"You can remember that?" asked Adric. "I don't have any memory of Rannal doing that to me."

"I figured out what he intended to do a few moments before he began," the Doctor said. "He wanted to know how to operate the TARDIS so that he could take his people back to Earth. He believed the only way to accomplish this was to take the information from me."

"I think he wanted all of your memories," Tegan said. "He planned to leave you like the man in the cave, Shand. They took all his memories and destroyed his mind—"

The Doctor shook his head. "That wouldn't have happened."

"Why not?" Tegan questioned.

"When I realized what his intentions were, I began to shield my thoughts from him. His skill is really quite impressive, though; I wasn't able to prevent him from taking some memories." He frowned again. "But I don't feel that I'm missing anything. Strange—I was certain that he'd taken certain pieces—"

"You were aware of what he was doing?" Adric asked.

"Oh yes. I could feel him trying to remove the memories, tugging with all his mental might at my cognitive stores, as it were. Some images did slip away."

"Ellea returned them to you," Nyssa said.

Surprised and intrigued by this fact, the Doctor said, "Really?"

Nyssa nodded. "Yes. Women who have been pregnant have the ability to implant memories in others. They use it when their children are upset or frightened. Ellea's abilities were heightened due to her pregnancy."

"Is Gerran all right?" the Doctor asked. "I'm afraid that he had access to some rather intense memories, though I tried to cloud the most disturbing ones from him."

"He collapsed," Tegan told him. "We heard him scream, and by the time we reached the meeting house he was writing on the floor. After Ellea gave you back your memories, Vuir told us to leave. She was afraid that others might try to take our memories. Gerran and Ellea were both in pretty bad shape, so the village was focused on them. We managed to get away without anyone bothering us."

"You brought me back here to the TARDIS?" the Time Lord asked.

All three young people nodded. "We took the less rocky route," Tegan added.

"But we haven't left the planet, have we?"

"No, Doctor. We just locked the door," Nyssa replied.

Now he stood, albeit it somewhat cautiously, brushing off Tegan's attempts to support him. He walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Tegan. "You should rest—"

"I've rested quite long enough," he retorted. "We're going back to the village so that I can be certain that Ellea is all right." He stopped abruptly then turned back to the bed to retrieve the device Nyssa had used on him. "For Shand," he said simply then walked out of the room.

------

The TARDIS materialized near Shand's cave. The Doctor suggested that his companions wait inside the ship, but all three insisted on accompanying him on his errand. When he stepped outside, the Doctor was surprised to find that darkness had fallen.

"How long was I unconscious?" he asked.

Tegan answered a bit gruffly, "Fourteen hours."

"Really? Hmm…interesting." He made no further comment as they walked along, guided by a halogen lantern that Adric carried.

As they neared the cave, Nyssa turned to Adric. "Dim the light," she said. "If he's awake it will hurt his eyes."

Adric adjusted the brightness then looked up. "Is that how you knew what Gerran was going to do to you?" he asked the Doctor.

"What do you mean?"

"The light—the way it hurt Shand's eyes. That was similar to my reaction."

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. His pupils were abnormally dilated, just like yours and Tegan's. When I saw that, I realized that whatever had happened to you two had also been done to him, only to a greater degree. As soon as I was attacked in the meeting house, I understood what was happening."

"They didn't realize that Shand would live," Nyssa said softly. "Vuir thought that he was mortally wounded, so Cira and the others took all of his memories. When Vuir realized that she had saved his body, his mind was ruined."

"Fascinating," the Doctor said. "They removed all traces of his identity and personality, leaving him with only cerebellar functions. They must have disrupted the performance of the entire cerebrum."

"Cira tried to put his memories back, but Ellea said it caused him terrible pain," Tegan added. Suddenly she gripped the Doctor's arm. "Did it hurt you?"

He shook his head as he placed his hand over hers. "No, I don't believe I felt anything."

They stopped at the entrance to the cave. Adric set the lantern on the ground. It glowed faintly, providing scant illumination inside the small cavern.

"Wait here," the Doctor instructed.

"No," Nyssa said, "I'm going in with you. I think that my voice calmed him, and he might recognize me."

"Let me go in first, at least, to see if he's still here," the Doctor said. He slipped into the cave for a few seconds, then called to Nyssa to join him.

She found him bending over Shand, who had moved to the far wall. He sat hunched against the rock, and he appeared dazed.

"Shand?" she said gently, moving toward him.

He did not acknowledge her. The Doctor removed the small device from his pocket and switched it on. It emitted a faint, blue light, but he held his hand over the screen to keep the light to a minimum. He passed the device before Shand's eyes, eliciting little response from the man.

As the Doctor turned to study the readout, Nyssa lifted the water jug to Shand's mouth, urging him to drink. The cool liquid splashed against his closed lips and dripped down his chin.

"I don't think he's able to drink," she said softly.

The Time Lord pocketed the device with a sigh. "His neural activity is severely diminished."

"Did Adric's blow hurt him further?"

"I don't know."

"Then this could be my fault."

He rested his hand on her shoulder. "No, Nyssa, you're in no way to blame for any of this—"

Tegan's voice echoed slightly at the mouth of the cave. "Doctor," she called lightly, "someone's coming!"

Nyssa and the Doctor left the cave. A woman was walking toward them. She carried a large basket over her arm. In gray light it was difficult to see her clearly.

"Ellea?" Tegan hailed her recent hostess.

The figure glanced back then hurried ahead. "No, it's Cira," she called back.

When she reached them she set the basket on the ground then glanced toward the cave. "Is he in there?"

The Doctor replied, "Yes. But his condition has worsened, I'm afraid."

"What are you doing out here?" Tegan asked. "I thought that Ellea brought Shand's food."

Cira's expression fell. "She couldn't come."

"Oh no," Nyssa said, "has she lost the baby?"

"No, but she's weak, and Gerran isn't well. Vuir is with both of them." She reached for the basket with another glance at the cave's entrance. "He's my husband. This should have been my responsibility all along."

"You have the children to take care of," Nyssa said.

"I've arranged for one of the other women to come and stay with them every morning. We've all agreed to take responsibility for Shand."

Nyssa nodded. "I think that's a good decision."

"Tell me about Gerran," the Doctor urged.

"He's confused and agitated. He seems terribly frightened, but he can't tell us of what. Vuir's given him some tea with calming properties, and it seems to be helping a little."

"Has anyone tried to help him in another way?" asked the Doctor.

Cira appeared confused, so he clarified. "Can you or another one of the women give him some tranquil memories? I think it would calm him."

She considered this for a moment. "We can try."

"Perhaps I should return to the village with you and see if I can help him," the Doctor began.

Tegan, however, took his arm roughly. "Doctor! You can't! After what he tried to do to you, to take everything from your mind—"

"He was desperate," the Doctor said.

Cira was shaking her head. "You should leave this planet as soon as possible. The other men are already out searching for you. They still believe that you're their only hope. It's not safe for you here."

"Come on," Tegan urged. "Let's just go."

"Wait," the Doctor said. "Cira, I'd like you to try something for me."

"What?" she asked.

He took her hand and led her into the cave. She gasped when she saw Shand. "It's been months," she whispered, frozen for an instant. She recovered quickly and knelt next to him, saying his name softly.

"Try giving him a memory," the Doctor said gently.

"Oh! I can't. We tried that before, and it caused him great pain—"

"Was that right after you had taken his memories, after he'd been injured?"

She nodded.

"His entire body was fighting to stay alive. But he's recovered from those injuries now. His mind may be more receptive to receiving information."

"I don't want to hurt him again," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Just try," he urged.

Slowly she placed her hands over his temples and closed her eyes.

"Just something small—try giving him a memory of drinking water."

She remained still for a few seconds then looked up at Shand's face. His expression had not changed, and there was no evidence that he was in pain.

The Doctor held the water jug out to her. She took it and lifted it to his lips. "Drink, Shand," she said gently.

He was motionless, his eyes lowered to the floor. But after a few moments he looked at her and opened his mouth. She tilted the jug, and he swallowed a few drops without spilling any.

The Doctor smiled. "Try to give him another memory tomorrow," he suggested, "but just a small one again. I think he may be able to relearn some skills and possibly even some language if you give him the memories slowly."

Cira blinked back tears. "Thank you."

Nyssa slipped into the cave again. She held a book in her hands. "Cira," she said, "would you give this to Vuir? I think she'll find it interesting and helpful."

Cira took the book with a nod then returned her attention to her husband.

"Good luck," Nyssa murmured as she and the Doctor left the cave.

As they walked back to the TARDIS, he asked her, "Which book did you give her?"

"A basic genetics text. If Vuir can develop an understanding of genetics, she may be able to help the others avoid some of the birth defects they've recently seen. I know it might take several generations, but at least this will provide a start."

"That was very thoughtful of you."

Tegan and Adric waited anxiously just inside the TARDIS. She poked her head out every few seconds to scan the area around them. As Nyssa and the Doctor neared her, she urged, "Hurry up!"

Once all four travelers were safely inside and the Doctor had closed the door, Tegan sighed in relief.

"I don't think there was any pressing danger," the Doctor said.

"No? Have you forgotten what they tried to do to you?" Before he could answer, Tegan added, "Because I haven't. I may have forgotten what they did to me, but I'll always have the memory of you lying on that floor after Gerran tried to—"

He placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for looking out for me."

"Doctor," Adric said, "I agree with Tegan on this one. Let's get away from here."

The Time Lord nodded agreeably and turned toward the console.


	11. Chapter 11

**Epilogue**

-----------

The Doctor entered the console room several hours later. A hefty book was tucked under his arm. He found Adric bent over one of the computer screens, hastily scratching notes on a thick pad.

"You look busy," the Doctor commented.

Adric glanced up. "I'm reviewing some basic programming algorithms."

The shadow of a frown flickered across the Doctor's face. "And how is the review going?"

"I think I still understand all of this." He pressed his hand over the screen. "But then I suppose I wouldn't know if it had been taken from me—"

Setting the book carefully on the other side of the console, the Doctor moved to stand next to Adric. "I've had a rather lengthy discussion with Tegan about her experience with Morra. I believe that the children took only small fragments from you and her. In her case, Morra took her memory of the landslide. In retrospect, she realized that she was thinking about it just before Morra touched her head. Of course she can't recall precisely what Morra took, but the only memory that seems to have vanished is that of the landslide. Nyssa and I have asked her numerous questions about other events and information from her life, and we can't find anything else that has disappeared."

"But Morra only did it once to her," Adric protested.

"That may be, but I still believe that the children took very little. Tegan said that Rannal was writing equations on his slate, and from the few symbols she could recall, it seems that he was reproducing the formula for the rate of decay of subatomic particles—precisely that bit of information that you were missing."

"But what if he took more? What if…" Adric paused and looked down at the screen again.

"What, Adric?"

"What if he took memories of my brother or my home? What if those are gone forever?"

"You have to believe that they aren't. You must cherish the memories that you have, whatever they are." He placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "A rather great man—Earth's Abraham Lincoln—once described memory as a 'midway world 'twixt earth and paradise.' Think about that, Adric."

Adric took a long breath. "He meant that memories can sometimes be more than we make them out to be, didn't he?"

The Doctor smiled. "Perhaps. It is for each of us to decide, just as we must each decide how to use our memories."

Adric was quiet for a few moments, then pointed at the book upon the console.

"What's that?"

The Doctor rested his hand on the volume. "The book you were studying just before we landed. I think that you'll be able to relearn the information quickly. Here," he paused to open the book and rest his finger on the page, "have a look at this."

Adric complied, his eyes moving rapidly over the symbols before him.

After perhaps half a minute, the Doctor asked, "So what would be the rate of decay of tamallium?"

Immediately the boy replied, "Fourteen thousand, seven hundred twelve."

With a grin, the Doctor said, "Excellent, Adric! The last time you saw this equation you misinterpreted one of the values."

Frowning, Adric asked, "I did?"

In response to the Doctor's nod, he added, "Well, I suppose there are some things that really are best forgotten."

--------


End file.
